Sign of Our Times: Beware of Wildlife

We spotted something new in our South Florida residential neighborhood this week - Beware of Wildlife signs all around our ponds and lakes. Our feeling is that they are a sign of the times we live in.

We get it. If you are a tourist or visitor to Florida, maybe you don't know that we share our natural spaces with alligators. And snakes. And black bears and panthers and wild boar, to name a few more that didn't make it on the sign.

Maybe a tourist or visitor knows those wild animals live somewhere in Florida but they do not think they will be living in tourist-y places...but they do live there. Just so we are on the same page: alligators live everywhere in Florida. EVERYWHERE.

What we don't understand is why residents of Florida need to be reminded that there may be alligators or other wildlife living in or around a neighborhood lake or pond. We feel like if you live here, you should know at least that much about where you live. Yet we know that is not the case as there is often a story by a Florida media outlet telling of a resident who lost their beloved pet or, I hate to say, child to an alligator while walking along the lake's edge.

The recent alligator stories that have been in the news surely make us sad. We feel for people who lose loved ones, be them children or pets, to an alligator. However, we still have trouble wrapping our minds around the fact that people do not realize that in Florida at some point they will come across an alligator. Google Florida! There are plenty of pages that will tell you we have more than our share of dangerous animals.

But times are what they are so we get warning signs all around our natural conservation areas in the neighborhood. We are sure we will spot similar signs at our local parks and State parks as well. Hopefully, someone other than those of us who know to respect the wildlife will read them and heed their warning.