I recall going to FL with my family as a kid, and we walked along the large lake behind the resort all the time, even at night. Different times when the population was controlled, I guess, but I still shudder at the ignorance and what could have happened. No one said a thing at the time.
You haven’t lived til you stay out on the big lake in a ganoe a little too long and its getting real dark. My sister and I did that one night and as we were paddling up the canal to the lake house in total darkness we could hear the gators on the bank grunting and then we would hear a splash. I have to tell you we were sweating bullets til we hit the dock. Never again. LOL! We did have a nice mess of crappie though.