Alligators abound during annual Florida count
Approaching extinction 40 years ago, species has rebounded to a million plus
ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — To the unaided eye, the swamp seems to sleep at night. But hit it with a spotlight and alligators suddenly appear everywhere, their bulbous red eyes glowing on the water's black surface.
The biologists begin to count.
In three hours, from just a pair of airboats, they find 754 gators in one small section of Lake Okeechobee, one of Florida's most concentrated gator habitats.
The data becomes part of the state's annual alligator count, used to set the number of hunting permits issued in coming years.
More hunters are expected this season after three separate fatal attacks earlier this month.
Even with rampant development and loss of wetlands, officials estimate there are more than 1 million alligators in Florida — a miraculous comeback for a species that was approaching extinction 40 years ago.
State officials and environmentalists attribute the population growth to strict federal regulations on sales of alligator products like skin and meat, along with tight limits on hunting and trapping.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
