I’ve seen media hysteria before, and here’s another perfect example of it. All these alligator attacks – three fatal attacks in six days – in Florida are weird, but I hardly think we should go out and kill them and rip their bellies open to see who’s in there.

I was born and raised in Florida and seen more than my share of gators. I’ve seen hundreds on golf courses. I was chased once as a teenager as I was wake-boarding in the Santa Fe River, but other than that, I’ve never had a problem with gators.

The only problem I see is with these idiots – mainly tourists – who get too close. That and the fact over-development in Florida is forcing them out of their natural habitats and too close to humans. Some of these incidents, I think we’re not getting the whole story. They don’t make sense, except in a made-for-TV sci-fi movie.

Gator, he ain’t gonna mess with you less’n you mess with him. That was my grandfather’s advice, and I still stand by it. Still, maybe it will keep more tourists out of Florida.

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