Posted on 06/19/2003 2:19:21 PM PDT by Normal4me
Sheriff's deputies trapped and killed seven alligators Thursday in a search for the gator that fatally attacked a 12-year-old boy swimming in a Central Florida river.
The alligators found in the Dead River were between 8 and 11 feet long, said Lake County Sheriff's spokesman Lt. Nick Pallitto.
The alligators were shipped to a biology laboratories, where they will be examined to determined which one killed Brian Jeffery Griffin
"They feel fairly confident that one of the gators is the one responsible," Pallitto said.
Griffin, of Fruitland Park, was pulled under the dark water Wednesday night minutes after two friends screamed for him to get out of the river when they spotted alligators, officials and witnesses said.
Deputies and witnesses saw the alligator surface at least once with the boy in his jaws, but the animal quickly disappeared across the river in north Lake County, about 25 miles northwest of Orlando.
The boy was underwater for at least 25 minutes before a sheriff's office helicopter spotted him and dropped a buoy to guide deputies, who pulled him up.
"We saw gators all day," said 14-year-old Justin VanGorder, who was swimming with Brian. "Every time we saw them, we would get out of the water."
Justin said he and the other boy saw some alligators and got out of the water, but Brian wouldn't get out.
"We screamed at him to get out, but he wouldn't," Justin said.
The boy was pronounced dead at Leesburg Regional Medical Center at 9:19 p.m., Wednesday, deputies said.
"We tried as much as we could to get him to respond -- but nothing," Leesburg Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Desiree Cohen said. "Like I said, it's a tough night for all of us in Leesburg."
The attack was the first alligator fatality in Lake County since the state started keeping records in 1948. It happened as dangerous encounters with alligators are escalating with the end of mating season and the beginning of summer's torrential rain showers.
Authorities said they are dealing with more complaints because so many of the deadly reptiles are turning up around rain-bloated retention ponds, ditches and canals.
On Sunday, an 800-pound alligator killed a 120-pound dog along the Little Wekiva River in Altamonte Springs.
And then go back in because ya know, once they disappear they aren't a danger anymore???????
"We screamed at him to get out, but he wouldn't," Justin said. "
Darwinian Selection alert!
Sounds like a barbeque to me.
Alligator Sauce Picante
4 lb alligator meat
4 tbsp flour
3 mediun
2 md bell peppers chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
3 can Rotel tomatoes
4 ribs celery chopped
1 qt chicken stock
Salt, red pepper, black pepper to taste
4 tbsp oil
1 1/2 bn green onions chopped
4 bay leaves
1 stick butter
1 sl lemon, thin
1/4 cup parsley
Onions chopped
Tomato paste
To prepare alligator meat for the above recipe, get meat from other than tail. Place in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove meat from water and flush thoroughly with fresh water. Place meat in a cast iron pot and saute in a little oil until lightly brown. Remove from pot, discard oil and use in above recipe. These procedures are said to remove the 'fishy' taste from the alligator meat.
With oil and flour, make a roux. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper and simmer for about 3 minutes.
Add tomato paste and rotel tomatoes and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
Add garlic, meat, and chicken stock. Simmer 25 minutes.
Add green onions, bay leaf, salt, red and black pepper and cook 20 minutes.
Add parsley, butter and lemon slice and simmer 20 minutes more. (98 minutes total) Serve over rice.
Boots, too.
Someone posted a picter of an EIGHTEEN foot long gator that was found in some sewer pipe in a park near the Brazos River in Ft. Bend county. My sons used to fish there when we lived there in the 70s. Brrrrrr.
The gators were protected then, but I think that restriction has been lifted because of their proliferation. Perhaps someone from Texas can tell me what the law is now.
Crikey!
'Bout time. I live in Florida (in Alachua County, nr Lake County) and we have gators around here that should not be allowed to live where there are human beings around. If I recall correctly, there used to be a size limit - but now, unless they're in your swimming pool, the law seem to allow seriously big gators to hang out in populated areas.
12 yr olds are 12 yr olds - we all do stupid things when we're kids (and even when we're adults). This is nobody's fault, but at the same time, I think that an area where there are a lot of swimmers, boaters, dog walkers, etc. should be able to impose a size limit on "permissible" gators - and enforce it. Either move them to a very remote swamp once they're over 4 ft., or make gator-tail out of them. And a few handbags...
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