[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Even if she was a recent Yankee -- when my dad was stationed in Florida when I was 3 my first thought was "there are alligators here." I was terrified. I checked our swimming pool every time I was going forna swim.

And boy, I was NOT a smart child. I can't imagine an adult who is stupid enough not to know what predators exist in their locale.

[Rebelbase]

Man’s laws have created this problem. I was a kid in S. Fla. in the 70’s and swam, tromped, dived and waded every bit of shore, lake and swamp available.

Gators were scared of man at the time and would flee. There was a swimming hole on a creek in a mangrove swamp that had a resident alligator. The first thing we’d do is all jump in off the high bank and do a cannonball splash. The gator would take off and we’d have the place to ourselves for the afternoon.

The exception was one time at a rock quarry in the SE glades a pair of gators followed several of us around the entire lake and would not let us enter the water.