SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WWSB) -- The start of spring also means the start of alligator mating season. The males are on the move, traveling from one fresh water source to another looking for females. That means you could see them turn up in places where they typically wouldn't be like crossing the street, in the middle of a golf course or even on a tennis court.
A group of tennis players at Englewood Sports Complex were met by an 8-foot alligator Wednesday morning. Somehow the reptile got inside the courts and couldn't figure out how to get out.
Wendy Aldridge is the Recreation Coordinator at Englewood Sports Complex. She says a pickle-ball tournament was scheduled for Wednesday morning. It was delayed for a few hours after her team discovered the gator while they were setting up.
"He was trying to go along the fence line and find a way to get out," Aldridge said. "Our thought is that he got in here in the middle of the night and just couldn't see well enough."
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Department responded.
"The officer was able to tie him to the tennis post that way he couldn't get out or harm or injure anybody," Aldridge said. "That kept him contained in the area until he trappers could get him here to go ahead and take him away from the park."
With ponds on either side of the tennis courts, Aldridge says that she thinks the alligator was trying to get from one pond to the other.
It happens everywhere during alligator mating season: Alligators are ending up in places where they shouldn't be. Typically the reptiles stay in their own territory, but this time of year the males are on the prowl. It's because the weather is warming up. Wildlife experts say in the winter they're inactive because they're cold-blooded animals.
When males travel, they aren't likely to go for miles, experts say. Instead they'll stay in a neighborhood or general area looking for females.
Not only are these creatures more active during mating season, but they're also more aggressive.
"They are going to be more likely to charge you or attempt to attack," Damen Hurd, vice president of Wildlife Incorporated said. "Basically you just don't want to go to the edge of the water."
If you avoid them, alligators will likely avoid you. Experts suggest staying at least 20 feet away. They say there have only been a total of 30 alligator attack deaths in 50 years in Florida.
"They can climb six foot fences," Hurd warns. "They can dig under fences, and they can hold their breathe for 45 minutes or more and swim through storm drains from one pond to another. So, there may not have been one there yesterday but there may be one there today."
Wildlife experts say to treat every fresh water source has alligators in it. Stay away from the waters edge. The aggression will last through October when the eggs hatch.
