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Gator Hunting Season Begins in Florida

Alligator hunting season began this week in the United States state of Florida. According to officials, in less than four hours the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sold nearly 4,500 permits - to approximately 2,100 hunters - in June 2006 for this season. Fish and Wildlife Commission officials stated the permit sales had increased from 2005. 3,500 alligators were estimated to have been killed during the 2005 season.

Florida officials believe this occurred because of the changes to the regulations, which included an extension of the hunting season for a total of 11 weeks (until Veteran`s Day), along with the ability for hunters to apply and pay for more than one permit at one time. Hunters purchase multiple permits because each permit only allows them to kill two alligators. There are a lot of alligators in Florida, and over the course of the past twelve months Florida has seen an increase in the frequency of attacks over past years.

This annual statewide event - tradition, really - has been going on since 1988. National and international events are held as well in connection with the season. In Florida, both residents and nonresidents (18 years of age and older) are eligible to obtain permits to hunt alligators. A Florida hunting license is not required. Biologists claim there are an estimated two million alligators that can be presently found across the state of Florida today.