An Alligator Safety Guide

Your chance of being attacked by an alligator in Florida, where most attacks occur, is about one in 24 million. Your chance of winning Florida’s Lotto Jackpot is one million better.

So, if you learn more about alligators and apply the information, you improve your safety factor (and by comparison, better your statistical odds at winning millions).

Lottery money.This isn’t a promotion for the Florida lottery, but an effort to shed the lights of accurate knowledge and perspective on the subject of the human-alligator relationship. Folks who live in alligator territory are rightly concerned about their safety in the presence of these powerful reptiles.

Consider this: A resident of, or visitor to, the southeastern United States is more likely to die (let alone be injured) as the result of an automobile or airplane crash, lightning strike, drowning, fireworks discharge, smoke inhalation, fire, tornado impact, electrocution, dog attack, legal execution or even the impact of an asteroid, than from an alligator attack.

So, chances are you’ll never need to use the information on this page, but knowing it may give you some peace of mind and aid you in enjoying our shared environment safely. This information also offers a glimpse of the alligator’s fascinating physiology and behavior that have enabled it to outlive the dinosaurs. Our ultimate goal should be to avoid conflict, but this can only be done if the self-aware, more intelligent species takes the initiative.

It’s not difficult. Below are twelve tips to aid you in doing so.