A Florida couple had a frightening encounter with an enormous alligator that appeared to be stalking them along their backyard dock, just weeks before another massive reptile killed a fisherman in the same Central Florida area.
Randy Forbes, a longtime resident of Oakland, Florida, said he and his wife were pressure-washing their dock along Lake Apopka in September when they noticed an unusually aggressive-looking alligator approaching them.
The reptile, measuring more than 11 feet long, refused to leave despite Forbes’ attempts to scare it away.
“He would just follow us up and down the dock,” Forbes told WESH 2 News, describing the unsettling encounter.
Forbes said he had never experienced anything quite like it during his 20 years living along the lake.
Normally, alligators retreat when he approaches the shoreline. This one behaved differently, remaining close to the couple and moving alongside them as they worked.
Concerned that the animal could threaten neighborhood residents, particularly children, Forbes contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Wildlife trappers responded and removed two alligators from the area.
The first measured approximately 8 feet, 10 inches, while the second was an enormous 11 feet, 1 inch long.
Forbes believes the larger reptile was the one that had been following him and his wife. He told WESH that both animals were taken to Gatorland.
Although neither he nor his wife was injured, the experience left him deeply concerned about whether some alligators around the lake are becoming dangerously comfortable near people.
Those fears intensified following a deadly attack just weeks later.
On Friday, October 16, 71-year-old Steven Hamilton was killed by an alligator while fishing at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in nearby Winter Garden.
According to investigators, Hamilton had caught a fish and was preparing to take a photograph with his catch when an alligator suddenly attacked him and pulled him into the water.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but Hamilton could not be saved.
Authorities later recovered his body and captured the alligator responsible, which measured approximately 11 feet, 8 inches long.
The animal was subsequently euthanized.
Hamilton’s death shocked the local community and raised fresh concerns about the large alligator population living in and around Lake Apopka.
The fisherman was remembered by friends as a talented musician and familiar face at the park.
Forbes said the tragedy reinforced his belief that residents need to remain especially cautious around the water.
He suspects some people may be illegally feeding alligators, particularly near public docks, potentially causing the animals to lose their natural fear of humans.
However, authorities have not established that feeding was responsible for either incident, and there is no indication that the alligator removed from Forbes’ property was involved in Hamilton’s death.
Florida wildlife officials have repeatedly warned that feeding alligators is both illegal and dangerous.
When alligators become accustomed to receiving food from people, they may begin approaching humans instead of avoiding them, increasing the risk of dangerous encounters.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that approximately 1.3 million alligators live throughout the state, including in lakes, rivers, canals, ponds and swamps.
Although serious attacks remain uncommon, wildlife experts warn residents never to approach or feed an alligator and to keep children and pets away from the water’s edge.
Residents who encounter a potentially dangerous alligator can contact Florida’s nuisance alligator hotline at 866-392-4286.
Forbes said the recent incidents have changed how he approaches his own property, particularly when mowing the grass near the shoreline.
Even after two decades of living beside Lake Apopka, he plans to pay much closer attention to his surroundings.
His experience serves as a reminder that Florida’s waterways are home to powerful wild animals, and even familiar backyard surroundings can present unexpected dangers.
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