News that a two-year-old boy was snatched by an alligator on Tuesday at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, is shocking and disturbing, however, such occurrences aren’t as common as you may think.
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Here’s a look at some numbers about alligator attacks across the state.*
Number of unprovoked attacks (1948–April 2016): 383
Number of serious attacks: 257
Number of fatalities: 23
Number of children killed: 7
Year of first fatality: 1973
Last reported fatality (as of April 2016): 2015
Worst year for attacks: 2001 (16 total; 3 fatal)
Odds of being attacked by an alligator in Florida: 1 in 2.4 million
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there have been more alligator-human interactions due to population growth in the state, especially as residents seek to own waterfront properties.
In order to avoid alligator interactions, some recommendations the commission suggests:
- Never feed alligators; this can allow them to overcome their wariness of people and lead them to associate people with food (it’s also illegal in the state)
- Never approach an alligator
- Do not swim outside of posted swimming areas
- Avoid swimming at night, as they are more active at dawn and dusk
- Be aware of the possibility of alligators when near freshwater
There are an estimated five million American alligators across the United States, with roughly 1.25 in Florida alone.
In the past 10 years, the commission has received more than 16,000 alligator complaints. That led to the creation of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, which allows the killing of 7,000 alligators a year.
*Data obtained from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
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