Karen Smittle

Be Gator Safe!—A Privately Funded Safety Campaign for the Southeast

Amid the phenomenal population growth taking place in Florida and other southeastern states, an increase in human encounters with wild alligators is inevitable. Unfortunately, such encounters have yielded a proportional increase in confrontations between humans and alligators and, during the past 11 years, a dramatic increase in human injuries and fatalities inflicted by alligators. In partnership with a nonprofit organization and a public relations firm, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission addressed the problem with extremely limited funds.