Don’t follow Trump’s advice unless you want an alligator bite, experts say

OregonLive ^ | July 02, 2025 | wire reports

[Rio]

President Donald Trump told reporters before leaving the White House Tuesday for his visit to the new ICE detention center in the Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” by state officials, that if immigrants housed there find themselves near an aggressive gator, they should run away in a zigzag pattern.

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TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS:

[Rio]

Serpentine!

DJT just can't get anything right. Experts say run in a straight line.

Experts can't take a joke.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

They can’t really be this dumb. Can they?

[Billthedrill]

It’s hilarious that apparently earnest media-ites chose to fact-check Trump on this one. Still, since they’re going to take it seriously I’d recommend a few of them actually try it out. I’ll wait for the report.

[joshua c]

human top speed 27mph

gator top speed 35mph

best advice is take a slower buddy with you

[Steve_Seattle]

"if immigrants housed there"

Always - ALWAYS - the MSM blur the distinction between illegal and illegal immigrants, and they do this deliberately.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

My God, these journalists, "experts," and "Fact Checkers" are nuts. Can you believe anybody spent on minute on this? They are absolutely crazy.

“Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,” Trump said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. “And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.”

But whether the president was making a flippant joke or not, wildlife experts say that’s the wrong advice: You should run in the opposite direction as fast as you can, and in straight a line as possible. “An alligator won’t chase you very far,” said Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology at University of Florida.

Alligator experts suggest it is better to dash in one direction in the rare situation when the reptile gives chase, according to a website run by the University of Florida. “Trying to zigzag is a distraction that you don’t need at that moment,” said Daniel Parker director of media for the reptile advocacy group, United States Association of Reptile Keepers, Florida, and a former biologist at the University of Central Florida and the Ashton Biodiversity Research and Preservation Institute.

And, instead of getting yourself farther away from the gator, you’re actually spending more time in front of it, Mazzotti said. “You want to get out of range the fastest you can,” he said.

There's nothing like News You Can Use from Parker and Mazzotti. I'll file that away the next time a 'gator is pursuing me.

Now, do these guys have advice regarding catamounts, grizz, and moose? That is info I could use up here in the northern mountains.

[chiller]

27 v. 35 mpg ?

for how long ? On land, I doubt anyone over 6 yrs of age would be caught by a gator. Quicker than quick, but not distance runners.

In fact. 35 mpg might be in water, which I don’t doubt.

[Antoninus]

Now, do these guys have advice regarding catamounts, grizz, and moose? That is info I could use up here in the northern mountains.

Any advice on running away from a skunk ape would be much appreciated as well.

[Sacajaweau]

That was the first thing my aunt told me when I arrived at her condo in Florida...as she pointed out the little creek that ran through the project.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Auntie said “Don’t zig-zag”?

Sounds like she is POTUS material.

[JBW1949]

My advice is to stay in the inclosure until they send you back to your country....

[chiller]

and now for something completely different:

Clay Travis atypically got one wrong yesterday, asserting a zig zag escape would swerve back into the gators line....which assumes the gator won’t zig to chase, or that he’s got ESP and runs a straight line foreseeing the swerve back into the gator’s path....both assumptions wrong.

[chiller]

Can you believe anybody spent on minute on this?

No, I can't, and makes me wonder why I am doing so. LOL

[bigbob]

But the runner has to make the right choice every time and the gator only has to be make the right choice once.

[Hatteras]

Fact checking the fact checkers. They are illegal aliens, not immigrants

[Lurker]

“They can’t really be this dumb. Can they?”

Yes. They can.

L

[ProtectOurFreedom]

LOL, indeed. Maybe it’s a big joke to see how many yokels they can get to read their tripe?

[When do we get liberated?]

Ussain bolt can do 27 in a short sprint. Most Americans probably cant do over 10 for more than a few feet. That said, alligators are lazy.

[cpdiii]

Trump is correct
But he is on team GATOR

[SuperLuminal]

“Zig-Zag” is merely a cost-cutting approach...
The fewer the number of inmates, the lower the costs...