How To Keep An Alligator Off Your Property In Tampa

If you’ve been wondering how you can keep an alligator off your property, we’ve got some tips for you.

Living in Florida means being surrounded by bodies of fresh water, as well as saltwater, which means gators are nearby even if you don’t always see them. I live in Tampa, specifically in Westchase. We see all kinds of wildlife in our residential neighborhood. We see deer, rabbits, vultures, armadillos, racoons, and all kinds of birds. We also see alligators. We have a big pond behind our house and we see one or two different alligators on different occasions. I feel like we’ve been seeing them more often lately. I don’t think it’s my imagination but rather, it’s mating season, so it makes sense.

I’m cool with the gators if they hang out in or at the edge of the pond. I’ll stay out of their way and hopefully, they’ll stay out of mine. But I see the stories where an alligator will somehow end up on someone’s patio or even in their pool.

Here are some precautions you can take to make sure alligators don’t end up on your property, or worse yet, inside your property. First, understand why a gator might wander onto your property. The males do it to look for mates. Smaller gators might be looking to avoid being attacked by a larger gator. Make sure you don’t have unsecured garbage on your property, because it could have something inside that would entice gators to eat. They love fruit, meat, but really anything could be on the table. The less clutter in your yard, the less likely a gator will take refuge. Pool fences, secure patios and pool alarms are also all good ideas.

It’s definitely a good idea to heed this advice to keep alligators off your property especially if you have small pets and children.

There are a lot of dangerous animals in Florida. But if you ever wondered what the most dangerous are? This list was put together by A-Z Animals. Between 1999 and 2019 only 247 people in Florida died as a result of an animal attack. Florida ranks as the third deadliest state in the United States for animal attacks. Texas is number one with 520 and California is number two with 299. Those findings come from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

So, what is the first animal that you think of when you think dangerous in Florida? You probably think of the Alligator, but that isn’t the number one overall dangerous animal in Florida. The Great White Shark is the most dangerous animal in Florida. While not on the land in Florida Great White Sharks swim the waters around the state of Florida. Back in 2020 Florida had 16 shark bites on record. Second was Hawaii with only five.

The dangerous animals in Florida that didn’t make the top five are some that you may have thought could’ve been higher. Firstly, number six on the list is the Black Widow Spider followed by the Florida Panther. The Florida Panther is the state animal. It was chosen in 1982 by a vote of students throughout the state. Following the Florida Panther on the list is the Wild Boar. You can find the Wild Boar in all 67 counties of Florida. Their estimated population is over half a million.

Next is the Timber Rattlesnake. It is also known as the canebreak rattlesnake and it is a species of pit viper. The Timber Rattlesnake has a Chevron pattern and a stripe running down its body. Finally, coming in number 10 on the list is the American Crocodile. They are found along the coast of Florida as north as the Hillsborough/Pasco County border on the west side of Florida.

Below, you can find the top five most dangerous animals in Florida.

Yes, Great White Sharks are found in the waters around Florida. A almost 1,200 pound shark that was almost 13 feet in length was tracked back in March of this year.

#1 and #2 on the list are sharks. They are in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They grow to about 11 feet and can live about 24 years.

Alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida. You can find alligators in any body of water including lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made canals. We've seen multiple reports this year of gator attacks, even some fatal ones.

They are found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak hammocks, sand pine scrub areas, and coastal barrier islands. Yes it is venomous.

It is venomous and can be found throughout Florida. It is called a cottonmouth because of the white color of the inside of its mouth.