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Monster catch: Tim Stroh managed to land this 12ft, 800lb alligator using a simple fishing rod... then his arms and legs, a .44-calibre rifle round, and finally a harpoon gun. It still doesn't seem like enough


Professional gamblers would not have put their money on Florida teenager Tim Stroh coming out on top in his latest Friday-night fight.

The 19-year-old college student has a wiry frame, stands 6ft 3in and weighs 160lb.

His opponent was a life-long killer, standing 12ft 3in tall and weighing a mighty 800lb.

However, despite being half the height and a fifth of the weight, Tim hung in there and came out victorious - bagging one of the biggest alligators in the state.


The unbelievable fishing trip began on Friday evening, when Tim accompanied his mother and father, Rachel and Steven, on one of their regular gator hunts with a family friend, Rusty Griffenberg.

It wasn't too long into their hunt when they came upon the Florida monster, near an Interstate highway interchange.

Mr Griffenberg was the first to cast a special alligator rod, but the creature didn't take the bait.

Tim was only armed with what his father called 'his puny bass rod' - but Tim thought he'd give it a go anyway.

Posing up: Tim kneels next to his catch with the 'puny bass rod' he used to hook it. Behind him are family friend Rusty Griffenberg, left, and Tim's father Steven - who were both with Tim when his fishing tale started

Proud hunter: Tim continues his photo opportunity, this time with friend Brittany Snyder. And, yes, that is a knife sharpener propping up the alligator's mouth

Smile! Tim's mother Rachel doesn't pass up an opportunity to have her photo taken with the gator, and hanging the beast from top to tail shows the massive height and weight difference that Tim had to overcome

And so began a David-and-Goliath struggle, until Tim managed to pull the far-bigger and far-heavier gator towards the boat.

Tim told TCPalm.com: 'I thought it was just a nine-footer. Then I saw how big it was. I was more afraid we would lose it than I was of the gator.

'I wasn't just pulling him in with my arms, I was using my legs. It was hard.' But he added: 'He had a lot of character, and I had a lot of fun.'

When the gator was in a manageable position, Tim hit it with a bang stick - a .44-caliber rifle round mounted on a stick - which stuns the animal.

Then he and Mr Griffenberg harpooned it before it was finally able to be pulled into the boat.

Steve Stroh, who runs the Southern Life Taxidermy and Guide Service with his wife, has seen more than the average man's share of fearsome alligators.

Yet he said: 'It's the largest gator I've seen since I started guiding hunts in 1989. The processor we went to in Loxahatchee said it's the biggest they've ever handled.'

Tims father plans to mount the 28in x 14in head, and tan the hide for his son.

Nothing will go to waste, as wife Tim's mother is making a lamp from a back leg, and 250lb of edible gator meat sits in freezers awaiting the frying pan.

The Strohs even plan to make keychains from the bony plates of the gator's back ridges.

And any undesirable characters in Hobe Sound area may want to take note of young Stroh, who currently studying criminal justice at Indian River State College.

Once you've wrestled with a 12ft alligator, staring down a local criminal or two would seem a lot less intimidating.

Snap: The location of the monumental catch, The St Lucie River


Even bigger catch: Connie Hancock hangs on to her 14ft alligator, caught on Lake George, Florida, during a holiday with her husband Josh


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Terrifying: Police were called after a visitor claims to have spotted two alligators on the water's surface at the 60-acre Waveney Valley Lakes in Wortwell


A holidaymaker claims to have spotted two alligators lurking in a lake - in East Anglia.

He called the police after catching sight of the reptiles in the water at a holiday park in Wortwell, Norfolk.

Police confirmed they are investigating the sighting but despite scouring the park, neither creature has been found.


Visitors to the 60-acre Waveney Valley Lakes are keeping their eyes peeled for the pair - and are giving the fishing lakes a wide berth.

Park manager Dave Potter, 58, told The Sun: 'It has caused quite a stir.

'We have 90 plots for caravans and lodges, so there are a lot of people here.

'The police had a good look around but didn't find anything.'

Norfolk Police confirmed a member of the public called to report he had seen the alligators and officers informed the park's owners.

Alligator expert Dr Laura Brandt said it was possible the alligators had been released or found their way to the water.

She warned: 'They will eat anything that moves.'

Native to the U.S. and China, the alligator is notorious for its bone-crushing bites and has existed for 200million years.

A large American alligator can weigh 800 pounds and can grow to more than 13 feet long. Their average lifespan is 50 years.

Deep water: Waveney Valley Lakes where the alligators were reportedly seen by a holidaymaker


The park's website said the lakes at Waveney - about 15 miles south of Norwich - were excavated in 1942 to provide the materials for the construction of many local airfields for the Allied Air Forces war effort.

The fishery originated in the 1960s when thousands of carp, tench and bream were introduced to the lakes. It now attracts anglers from miles around.

The website states the park is a 'natural haven for wildlife' including kingfishers, herons, grebes and three species of bats.

Meanwhile, police shot a concrete lawn ornament in the shape of an alligator in the suburbs of Kansas City, Missouri, this week after thinking it was real.

The drama began when a neighbour who had not seen the fake alligator before called 911 to report that his children had spotted it while playing in some nearby woods.


source:dailymail

By PAUL THOMPSON

Confused: Here's the moment a 10ft long alligator chomped its teeth into the bumper of a police patrol car in Alachua County, Florida


A fearless alligator bit off more than it could chew - when it tried taking a bite out of a police car.

The 10 foot long beast clamped its powerful jaws on the front bumper and refused to let go.

Video footage captured the alligator holding on to the bumper as the car slowly reverses away.

Eventually, it lets go and the gator was captured by a licensed trapper.

The confrontation took place in Gainesville, Florida, when a householder called 911 to report the alligator wandering around a residential neighbourhood.

Sheriff's deputy Victor Borrero responded to the call, and was confronted by the alligator.

He remained in his car while the animal tried to take a bite out his bumper.
The alligator had wandered into the residential area from Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.

Police said no one was injured and the officer's car suffered damage to the front bumper.


Alligator attacks Police car



source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hands off my son! The mother alligator gives chase after a cheeky heron snatched one of its young from the nest


This hungry heron clearly got more than it bargained for after snatching a baby alligator from its nest.

The vulnerable reptile was grabbed by the large wading bird which then ran off with its lunch held in its beak.

But the brave bird was spotted by the alligator's irate mother, which reared up on its hind legs as it gave chase baring her fearsome teeth.


Brave: The heron had spotted the baby alligator and grabbed it in its beak before making a break for it


The protective beast hurtled after the frightened Great Blue Heron until it finally dropped its precious cargo on the grass.

The six-inch long baby then managed to scuttle back its nest at a wildlife reserve in Polk County, Florida, under the watchful eye of its mother.

Photographer Claudia Kuenkel, 46, captured the incredible moment.

She said: 'It was a pretty awesome sight. Luckily I was about 90ft away from the action so I wasn't worried about my own safety.


Better make it snappy: The Great Blue Heron thought it had found a lunchtime snack, but was spotted by the mother lurking near the nest


'The first thing I saw was the bird just standing there. It wasn't a big deal so I turned away, but the next thing I saw was this huge alligator running.

'Normally they just lie around in the sun and don't really move - I've never seen one like that.'

The heron does not appear to have had time to take off as it ran along the grass bank.


In a flap: The frantic bird attempts to take off as its massive pursuer closes


But it remained near the nest after dropping its lunch on the off-chance of another morsel.

Ms Kuenkel, from Florida, added: 'It actually wasn't until afterwards when I looked at my photos that I saw the baby alligator in the heron's beak and realised what had happened.

'I've never seen a heron eating an alligator baby like this, but I do know they're vulnerable to all kinds of predators when they're so small.

'The mothers are very protective and can be ferocious if anyone tries to harm their babies. Luckily this one had its mum looking out for it.'


Spilled it: As the alligator almost rears on to its hind legs, the frightened heron drops the baby to the ground


Maternal instinct: Having chased off the would-be predator, the mother returns to her nest with her baby, but the plucky heron still lurks around in case of another chance

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Say cheese: Two alligators smile for the camera as they swim side by side in the Everglades National Park, Florida


Posing with what appear to be toothy grins, these alligators were captured in stunning close-up as they enjoyed a dip in the Florida Everglades.

Totally submerged in the murky water, photographer Jim Abernethy got within inches of the huge predators to capture the perfect image.

Brave Mr Abernethy, 52, even played snap with the creatures by copying the way alligators square up to each other in the wild.

He would raise his arm above the water, similar to the way an alligator raises its jaws - to coax the animals into opening their mouths for the 'killer shot'.

Luckily for him, the 200lb reptiles did not choose to clamp their razor sharp teeth on his arm instead.

Alligators are at their most unpredictable and dangerous while underwater.
'I gave them nicknames like "Fluffy" in the hope I would forget for a moment that they were hunters,' Mr Abernethy said.

'Some were actually quite friendly in an alligator way. Whenever I entered that lake the one called Fluffy would swim right up to me.

'If she came too close I would have to physically push her away with my lens.
'If any of them seemed to be showing threatening behaviour then I just got out of the water.'


Razor sharp: Photographer James Abernethy coaxed the alligators into opening their mouths by copying their behaviour in the water


Terror from the deep: An alligator flashes a toothy grin as he looms towards the camera in the murky water


Based in Florida, Mr Abernethy said he felt confident enough to enter the water because of his careful respect for alligators.

The most recent attack in the U.S. state was in July last year when teenager Tim Delano's hand was bitten off as he took a morning swim in a creek.

The 18-year-old, from Fort Myers, survived the attack by punching the alligator with his free arm until it let him go.

Hunters killed the alligator and retrieved his hand, but it was too damaged to be re-attached.

In a separate incident in November 2007, Justo Padron, 36, was killed by an alligator as he attempted to flee police officers chasing him for breaking into a car close to his home near Miccosukee Resort, Florida.


Thriving: Mr Abernethy said some of the alligators got a bit too friendly and he had to push them away with his camera lens


Mr Abernethy said: 'Large alligators will explode into action when they see viable prey.

'I felt safe as I was slightly larger than most of them and they rarely attack anything bigger than themselves.'

American alligators are more than 150 million years old.

Hunting by humans in the 20th century reduced their numbers heavily and saw them listed as an endangered species.

Strict hunting laws have since seen their population recover and thrive.

One million wild alligators live in freshwater rivers, lakes and marshes of Florida and Louisiana.

They commonly eat birds, raccoons, fish, turtles and snakes.

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Orangey: The curiously-coloured alligator was spotted sunbathing on a cement pier in Sorrento Woods, near Venice, in Florida


Florida is famous for its orange groves - less so for its orange alligators.

But that's just what turned up near the home of grandmother Sylvia Methen, in Sorrento Woods, near Venice.

Mrs Methen, 74, said: 'When I was coming back from work I passed by, and I thought I saw what I thought I saw, but I had to back up and come and look again.

'I could barely believe my eyes. It was indeed an orange alligator.'
And Mrs Methen wasn't the only one who saw it.

'He was just sun basking right here on this cement pier minding his own business,' said resident Phillip Crosby.

Most people would be afraid to go anywhere near the huge beast, but not Mrs Methen.

She said: 'I thought this is great, and I am going to snap a picture and send it to my grandkids so they think I'm one of the coolest grandmas in Florida.'

She added: 'I got quite close and he was orange. So if it was mud, he did a good job of covering himself - he got every nook and cranny.'

Mrs Methen says she contacted a biologist, who gave her an explanation for the alligator's extraordinary colouring.

She said: 'His findings were that it's probably almost an albino, kind of in between. It's an albino, only a little more colour, so he wasn't a full-fledged albino.'

And Mr Crosby added: 'I could see him as I was passing by in my car, and he was definitely orange. His whole body was orange.'

Ms Methen added that the biologist believes the animal is so rare, even he hasn't seen one.

But Gary Morse with the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission says the alligator is not actually an albino, but believes it probably submerged in something like rust-coloured water.


source: dailymail