LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) -
Alligators are a regular
sight here in southwest Louisiana, but recently residents have reported several
aggressive gators near the 210 boat launch area.
They're a part of the culture in
southwest Louisiana, but close alligator sightings are becoming a common
occurrence near the 210 boat launch and kayak launch area.
"Normally an alligator in the wild,
whenever he sees a human, will go down, or keep a distance away from you," said
nuisance alligator hunter Randall Hebert. "These have actually been coming up
to people launching their kayaks, getting within 6, 8, 10 feet of them."
Hebert says the gators are aggressive
for many reasons.
"One, it's mating season," said
Hebert. "You got your big bull gators swimming around, looking for mates, so
they're a lot more active. Nesting season, if you have females on the nest,
they are really really aggressive. Or if people start feeding them, they get
used to people. They see people and think of them as food."
Parish officials received reports of
people feeding gators near 210 and Contraband Bayou. But Hebert says don't do
it.
"If you want to look at them, look at
them from a distance," said Hebert. "Don't try to approach them. Don't feed
them to get them close. Look at them from a distance. If they start acting
aggressive, leave them alone."
Hebert already harvested a four foot
and an eight foot alligator from the area. But after more reports came in, he
put his lines back out. And Wednesday morning, he pulled another one in the
boat.
"I caught one that was 7'2"," said
Hebert.
But Hebert isn't done. He's got
something bigger in his sights.
"I have one that a commercial fisherman
said he seen about 5:30-6:00 this morning," said Hebert. "That's the one I'm
after. That's the one that the kayakers have pictures of. This guy's been in
the outdoors all his life. He says he's every bit of 10, if not 11 foot."
Many speculate the casino construction
is forcing the alligators out of their territory. But Hebert says it's normal
for them to move.
"Alligators move," said Hebert. "They
have a home territory. They move around it. We do have a big influx of
alligators after hurricane Ike and hurricane Rita. They pushed a lot of
alligators out of Cameron parish up into this area. So we are seeing a lot more
alligators".
Hebert says overall the
numbers aren't that much different than last year. Hebert took 75 alligators
out of the Lake Charles area, and so far this year, he's just over 50.
Copyright 2012 KPLC. All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and KPLC, a Raycom Media Station.
