Community Corner

Alligator Caught in Riverview Gives Pause To Remember Safety

An unexpected visitor lurked near the entrance doors to HCC at The Regent in Riverview, which prompted a call to a nuisance alligator trapper.

 

Courtship begins in early April, with mating in May or June, for Florida’s alligators, which is a busy time for nuisance trappers statewide.

One such trapper was at HCC at The Regent on April 16 to snare a 5-foot alligator that made its way to the bicycle rack near the entrance doors to the satellite location for the Brandon campus of Hillsborough Community College.

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There, a student spotted the wayward alligator, as another student, a police officer for Veterans affairs, kept watch until a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived, followed by a licensed state trapper.

The Florida Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), contracts with about 55 nuiscance alligator trappers to remove specific nuisance alligators.

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The department also offers safety tips and facts to keep in mind about alligators and alligator nuisance situations.

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