'Frisky' gators on the prowl pose threat to pets, humans

Alligator mating season is in full swing, prompting active bayou cruising by the leviathans and, in the process, pose a threat to humans and their pets, says a Patterson man who helped catch an 8-footer and kill an 11-footer Tuesday.
Billy Badeaux said he and “Duggie” Acosta captured and relocated an 8-foot alligator weighing about 200 pounds early Tuesday afternoon in Patterson under Dr. Walter Daniel’s carport along the Lower Atchafalaya River.
Next, sometime after 6 p.m., an 11-footer, weighing 500 to 600 pounds, near Badeaux’s house, was shot and killed by Guy Landry, brother of Troy Landry from the television series Swamp People.
“A lady near the Red Cypress Bridge called in a complaint about an alligator that had eaten three of her four cats and she was worried about her grandkids,” Landry said.
A third alligator, maybe 11-foot, has been hanging around Badeaux’s house for a couple weeks and showing no signs of fear of humans, is becoming a dangerous nuisance, Badeaux said.
Alligators can be seen swimming in the area of humans playing in the river during much of the year, but the level of danger increases during mating season, Badeaux said. However, pets are most likely to become victims to an attack, he said.
“They love eating dogs. They come toward the bank toward dogs. Very rarely do you hear of an alligator attack on a human, unless it is in Florida,” Badeaux said.
Fencing a yard is not always a guarantee of protection for pets, according to Badeaux.
“They can climb a six-foot fence with no problem,” Badeaux said. “I have seen it happen already.”
Badeaux said alligators are removed, rather than shot, if they are small enough to be safely handled.
“The habitat belonged to the alligators before us,” Badeaux said. “We want to leave them alone, unless they pose a threat.”
The alligators usually stay on the opposite side of the river, but during mating season they begin moving around and searching for a mate, Badeaux said. The reptiles began their mating season a couple weeks ago and it usually lasts five to six weeks, he said.
“During mating season alligators get real aggressive,” Badeaux said. “With mating season going on they don’t want people around their females.”
Landry said “the big bulls” are moving about and “showing up in places you don’t normally see them. This happens every year during this time.”
The Wildlife and Fisheries Department gives a number to someone that calls in a nuisance complaint. Alligator hunters are issued tags that they associate with the complaint number if the alligator is killed, said Landry.
“For the next two to three weeks while the alligators are mating, people should be cautious around them,” Badeaux warned.
To report a nuisance alligator, call 800-442-2511.