Florida alligator attacks raise questions about safety & what happens after they strike

Recent alligator attacks across Florida, including a deadly encounter in Orlando, are putting a spotlight on the dangers of living alongside these powerful reptiles.

However, when an alligator is involved in an attack — what happens next?

"I only watched that video one time," said Estero resident Richard Wilbanks.

In 2020, a viral video captured the heart-stopping moment when Richard Wilbanks pried open an alligator's jaws to save his puppy, Gunner.

"I could have lost him, and it would have broken my heart," said Wilbanks.

Somehow through it all, he never even dropped his cigar.

"It happened during COVID, and people were looking for a feel-good story with a happy ending," said Wilbanks.

But not every gator encounter ends that way. In May, an alligator killed a family's dog in North Fort Myers. Then in late June, a North Fort Myers man was bitten by a gator.

"What makes him a nuisance alligator is his lack of fear of people," said Allen Register, co-owner of Gatorama.

Gatorama in Glades County is home to thousands of gators. If a gator becomes a problem, Register says a licensed trapper is typically called in to remove it.

"What happens if a nuisance alligator is moved from pond A and you move it to pond B? He's still going to be a nuisance alligator," said Register.

What happens after a nuisance gator is removed? The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it becomes the property of the trapper. Most are processed for their hide and meat, while others are sold alive to a gator farm, animal exhibit, or zoo.

"A lot of gator attacks are tied to behaviors that we can prevent," said Dr. Edwin Everham with Florida Gulf Coast University.

Despite the recent attacks, Dr. Everham says encounters are rare. However, as temperatures rise, so does alligator activity.

"At the beginning of the summer, you've got mating season. At the end of the Summer, we're starting to get hatching. So, the females will be really protective of their nest," said Everham.

Dr. Everham says Florida's growth is bringing people closer to alligator habitat.

He also has another theory.

"It could be that when they're getting constrained into limited areas from a long-term drought, you're starting to get more aggressive behaviors than we would when we have natural rainfall," said Dr. Everham.

Both experts point to one major mistake: feeding alligators. Register says feeding alligators can change their behavior.

"It can only have to happen two or three times before that alligator realizes that, oh, there's a person over there; they must have food for me," said Register.

Ultimately, experts say the goal is to respect wildlife and fear it.

"We probably need more education in how to cope with wildlife," said Wilbanks.

Wilbanks has embraced that message after his attack. A children's book about Gunner's attack helps teach kids about wildlife safety.

He's also proven it to Gunner by simply walking the pond's edge with a leash.

"The first thing we did was go back down to where the alligator attacked. It's kind of like you fall off of a bicycle. You've got to get back on," said Wilbanks.