iStockphoto / Mark Kostich/gguy44
With every passing week the line between Florida and Australia becomes blurrier. They are essentially lands cut from the same cloth but situated on opposite ends of the globe. And I say this as a born-and-raised Floridian.
In the latest Australian-esque incident out of Florida, a pet dog was eaten by a crocodile in Brevard County’s Satellite Beach. Yes, an American crocodile. Not an alligator. And this was on the central Florida coast, not in South Florida where crocodiles are more prevalent.
Crocodile Kills Pet Dog In Florida
The incident took place in Brevard County, Florida which sits on the Atlantic Coast to the east of Orlando and includes Melbourne, Cocoa Beach, and the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Port Canaveral as well as Satellite Beach. This is not a part of Florida that many associate with American crocodiles. Alas, they are there.
Case in point, this one spotted hundreds of miles from the Florida Keys in Melbourne two Summers ago which caused a huge stir.
According to WESH News, neighbors near the incident claimed to have seen the crocodile before. They reported “the crocodile was seen and recorded swimming with the dog in its mouth down a canal nearby.” At that point, FWC offices were called in to wrangler the crocodile out of the water.
Confirming this wasn’t the first time the crocodile had been seen in this part of Florida, WESH News says the croc had been “relocated three to four times” but kept returning to the same canal in this part of Satellite Beach, Florida.
That will no longer be the case as the crocodile was taken into custody and will now be kept in permanent captivity.
One local resident, Zack Spurlock, says he’d seen this crocodile countless times. Telling WESH News “it has zero fear of humans. When I saw that behavior, I knew something bad was going to happen.”
Nuisance Alligators And Crocs In Florida
Here in Florida, there are specific circumstances for what qualifies as a ‘nuisance alligator.’ Presumably, that criteria extends to alligators which for all intents and purposes are like alligators here in the Sunshine State just much rarer.
The state’s Nuisance Alligator Program states “an alligator is deemed a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property. There are situations when smaller alligators wind up in places that are not acceptable, such as swimming pools, garages, etc., and must be removed.” Again, let us assume this applies to crocodiles as well.
In this case, it certainly has as the crocodile is being permanently moved to captivity in order to prevent any future incidents.