Hi Y'All...

Thought you might find this piece from my local paper interesting. I know the Gary Morse mentioned and he is just as this article makes him look.

Published Thursday, May 19, 2005

Family of Man Killed By Gator Plans to Sue
It says negligence of city, Polk, Wildlife Conservation Commission led to his death.

By Dana Willhoit
The Ledger

LAKELAND -- The family of a Bartow man who was killed by an alligator in March is planning to sue Polk County, the city of Lakeland and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alleging their negligence caused his death.

Don Owen, 56, of Mulberry, was found floating in Six Pound Pond in South Lakeland off of County Road 540A on March 12 by several men who were fishing there.

His left arm had been bitten off at the forearm, and there were bite marks on his body. Trappers went back to the lake, killed an

8-foot-9-inch alligator and found the arm in its stomach. The Medical Examiner's Office determined that Owen had been killed by an alligator on a Sunday. The alligator was trapped and killed the next day.

A resident whose daughter lived near the lake, Ann Fontaine, said her daughter complained frequently about the alligator in the lake. She had repeatedly called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, asking it to remove the alligator because it was aggressive, Fontaine said.

Gary Morse, spokesman for the Lakeland area Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the agency had a record of receiving only two calls. A trapper went out and searched for the alligator once but did not find it, he said.

Best All, and with thanks to the Lakeland Ledger,
5/0

Being eaten by a large animal has got to be just about one of the most horrible ways to go, and my sympathies go out to the family. Having said that though, I don't see what suing the city and F&G will accomplish.

Anytime we venture into wilderness (or increasingly, the fringes of wild and populated areas) that contain large predators, our relationship with that environment becomes significantly different than what we are probably accustomed to in the relative (perceived) safety of our homes and neighborhoods. I could write a whole other posting about how much safer people statistically are in wilderness than in the frontcountry - even supposedly "safe" gated communities. But regardless, whether it's gator, bear, or mountain lion country (and I've spent a fair bit of time in the last two), you have to accept you are entering a situation in which man is longer necessarily the apex predator. It should be a conscious choice, and a personal responsibility, not the fault of a government agency to provide you with a consequence-free experience.

I also have to ask why, if it was known that there was an agressive gator in the area, he went there, apparently alone, anyway? We can't expect Fish & Game, or the city, to be held responsible for what is ultimately an individual's decision. Nor do I think it is the responsibility of government agencies to make wild places "safe" for us. They would then cease to be wild. If this were in a populated area, then I think that relocation is probably necessary. But until then, why go there if you know there is an agressive animal in the area?!?