Florida Alligators - How Our Small Son Could Have Died - When Travelling Check local safety rules

When checking into a hotel, ask about local safety rules.

We flew from London, UK, to the USA, Florida.



Our small son wanted to go alone to the buffet. I wanted to prevent him or go with him.

I was distracted from my conversation with my husband, and kept watching. My son had disappeared.

I chased up to the buffet. No sign of him. i raced around the dining room. No sign of him. I raced into the Reception hall. He was not in the hotel lobby.

The other way was the outdoor pond. A sign said 'Do not feed the alligators'. My son was throwing parts of his sandwich into the pool!

I grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the door.

From a safe distance, away from the edge of the water, I read the sign to him.

I led him back to the dining table. I instructed him;
"You are never to leave the table, or the room, or throw food. You must stay with us at all times!"

American alligators are more widespread than you might think.

Warnings For Foreigners
In addition to signs warning about alligators, Reception staff should warn foreign visitors, and local visitors about local dangers, and hotel dangers, and roperty dangers, and city dangers, and country dangers. Also tell parents to keep childen within sight and reach at all times.

Fence and Glass Barrier
I think ponds should also be fenced or glassed in.

Useful Websites
Australian Rules About Fencing Swimming Pools
https://www.spasa.com.au/consumer-info/fencing-laws/https://www.spasa.com.au/consumer-info/fencing-laws/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
The Author
Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)
Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.
See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.
See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,
Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.
I am also a member of
Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. I am also a member of
Tampines Changkat Advanced.
Harrovians, London.
Tiarel, Singapore.
Toastmasters International Find a Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations
lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991
learncool.sg
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Alligator Kills American - Can You Fix Stupid?

Photo in Wikipedia in article on Alligator. Photo attributed to Bignuts.Alliator in zoo.

Newspapers and other media reported that a woman went towards an alligator and was killed.

Several comments from the public worldwide were about the woman being stupid.

Yes, by definition half the people are under the half way mark of human intelligence. Children under ten, or under twenty, lack experience. They lack knowledge and are more vulnerable to wildlife and accidents because of the child's size.

A second vulnerable group are the elderly with dementia.

A third vulnerable group are those who are born with or develop low intelligence through accidents.

 As legislators and health inspectors and citizens we have a duty of care towards them, and the  public and emergency services who risk their lives thrying to save the endangered.

Do you seriously think that anybody of low intelligence should be killed aligators? What if it's your relative or enighbour, or granny? What if you are funding or managing the local hospital or mortuary or insurance company.

If it costs money to keep the mentally deficient or mentally fragile confined, then we think it is kinder to leave them in the community, doing simple jobs. But they are a danger to themselves - and other who try to rescue them.

Many of these events are predictable.

As people get older, a proporiton of them develp dementia.

Allowing people to drink during the working day before 6 pm (when they should only drink safely at home, without walking or driving home). Luckily the husband and wife did not go to help her or there would have been three fatalities. They threw a rope.

Should we give everybody an annual intelligence test? Questions including, should I fondle a lion or an alligator?

Instead, or in addition, should we invest more in fences around ponds and lakes and rivers and canals and clifftops?

What are the options?

Confine those of low intellience.
1 Barrier Rope  & Rescue Ropes For Humans
Install more ropes and life belts.
Bild more fences.

2 Barriers For Animals
We have fences around fields to confine sheep and bulls. Fences in farms and in Australia go on for miles.
Have bells and other items like scarecrows to keep wildlife in the water.

3 Cull wildlife.
Move wildlife out of urban areas.

4 Ban alcohol / restrict access and times.
(Like many muslim countries and the US in the Prohibiton era.)
Ban alcohol during working hours. (We used to have fewer hours when alcohol could be served in the UK.)

A moral rule used to be no alcohol and no valueble diamond jewellery worn before 6 pm - which prevented accidents and loss of valuables in working hours.)

5 Cage communities
Build gated communities with walls to keep out wildlife.

What Has Worked
In Australia they discovered that most deaths from drowning take place not in the ocean but to small children in homes with back yard swimming pools. So they brought in legislation that all back yard pools should have high fences and lockable gates.

In Rockville, Maryland, swimming pools were reured by the local council (inluenced by their insurance requirments) to have tennis court style high fences, and two lifeguards on duty during opening hours. Putting up warning signs is good. But if the young and old of low intellence, bavado, following dares, or drunk, have access to danger, ywe need to think of prevention by a second backup system.

How You And I Can Spread Safety Messages
Currently Covid-19 is causing legislation all over the world. The public and the media are supporting safety messages on Facebook posts and bogs.

At Toastmasters International we are occasionally asked in the Table Topics session (impromptu speeches), what would you do if you were king or president or could pass any law? I shall start a new notebook, or a page in my diary, listing the changes I would like to see, and plan to give this speech at the next opportunity.

Be Prepared To Speak
I might have to wait 6 months. But the moment will come. In fact, as President of Braddell Heights Advanced, currently on line at 7 pm every Wednesday, I can give the opening speech. I now have my topic.

Come along to hear it. Next Wednesday on learncool.sg contact the president of VPE if you wish to attend. You, too, have a story to use to illustrate a point if you are called upon to give an impromptu speech or comment. Plan your quick, succint comment on alligators crocodiles, covi-19 and any safety issue

Useful Websites
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8293063/I-guess-wont-words-woman-killed-alligator.html#reader-comments
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_alligator_attacks_in_the_United_States

About the Author
Angela Lansbury

Author

Author, Author! About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, trainer and speaker. (Not related to the actress.)

Author of twenty books including: Quick Quotations; Who Said What When.

See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts. Also watch videos on YouTube.

See other posts on singers and statues and languages and destinations.

LANGUAGE TEACHER/TRAINER

If you want to learn to speak the Queen's English, or Received Pronunciation. join me at my online toastmasters club,

Braddell Heights Advanced. Wednesdays, 7-9 Singapore time which is seven hours ahead of London, England.

On learncool.sg

I am also a member of

Singapore Online.9-12 pm, Singapore time, Fridays. In 2019-2020 I am also a member of

Tampines Changkat Advanced. Tiarel.

Harrovians, London. HOD London.

Toastmasters International Find a Club

https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club

https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=upSEBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&lpg=PA21&dq=quick+quotations

lulu.com/shop/angela-lansbury/who-said-what-when/paperback/product-21713991

drink

Other posts about food, drink, restaurants and artists and museums and destinations and languages.

See later posts on pools.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Alligators - best avoided - safety tips

Problem
How do you catch an alligator.

Answer
Stay away and call an expert.

Or go to alligator catcher training classes.

Story
I just read about an American dental practitioner who catches alligators. One method is to sit on its back. If you can get near. (While somebody else who is braver and equally strong holds its jaws together. Assuming you are a heavyweight person or have a few friends who weight more than the alligator.)

Then you need the tape to tie up the jaws or you are stuck holding on all day. Plus the ties to fasten its feet together. And watch out that it doesn't swipe you or some other innocent with its tail.

Frankly, the best thing is to stay at a distance.

Brave lady. But the article mentions that 'only one' person died?

Well, there's the small child in Florida, plus a person recently in Australia. That's just the two I remember from the past six months without bothering to research. Plus, of course, the missing people.

It depends how you look at the statistics. Nobody died in the local swimming pool /pond / golf course in the last five minutes. Or so many nationwide or worldwide in the last year, decade or century.

All credit to her because it's brave, trained experts like her, carrying the right equipment, who help keep the figures down.

However, the telling figure for me was when an alligator worker in a Florida theme park
said he could not get life and accident insurance.

I goggled alligator safety and found this website:
http://www.sccf.org/content/45/Alligators.aspx

As far as I can see (on the website) - in real life they recommend carrying binoculars - you need to keep many feet away. And alligators over a certain size are not always protected. It may vary from state to state or country to country. Check local laws.

Tips
Read about the dangers first so you are well informed. Then check for and obey any warning signs.

http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/fatal-alligator-attacks-florida-lane-graves-orlando-disney-victims/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Thoughts on safety around animals

1 Don't turn your back on an animal to take a selfie.
2 Others may be standing apparently safely near animals - but they might be attacked in five minutes time - and so could you.

An animal looking at you may be preparing to attack. A woman was taking a selfie in front of a bison in the USA. Luckily she lived to tell the tale.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3171312/Bison-injures-woman-posing-selfie-Yellowstone.html

Don't lie down either. Especially not near an emu in Australia. It could get amorous.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3171456/The-moment-emu-tried-mate-backpacker-Australian-outback.html

And while we're on this subject, keep your dog on a leash well away from water in Florida.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3171575/Woman-leaps-pond-wrestles-7ft-alligator-bare-hands-successful-bid-rescue-pet-dog-reptile-s-jaws.html#comments

I have just written a fictional book about a girl with a dog trying to escape from an escaped lion at a safari park.
It is called
Larry The Talking Dog, Cathy Cat and Escaped Lions.

Angela Lansbury, author, travel writer, photographer, speaker.