From State Icon to Neighborhood Nuisance

"When you string three mortalities together, then the telephones begin to ring off the hook," said H. Franklin Percival, associate professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Florida and the leader of the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. But "if the alligator population is expanding, it's expanding slowly."

The danger may be far less significant than the headlines suggest. The recorded number of unprovoked alligator bites -- that is, those not involving trappers or those who handle the animals professionally -- was only seven in 2005, according to state statistics.

Floridians' attitudes toward alligators have undergone profound changes in recent decades.

Many native Floridians can remember swimming in ponds where alligators lived. In this more safety-conscious era, folks take a more cautious approach.

"We didn't think much of it," said Hord, who grew up in Florida and has his own recipe for seasoning and deep-frying alligator meat. "The chances of being bitten are very, very slim."

After poaching and over-harvesting depressed the population to low levels in the 1960s, alligators were placed on the list of endangered species. Since then, their numbers are believed to have risen dramatically.

The state now allows limited alligator hunts, but the species is still protected under state law. The new rules could loosen the restrictions, possibly even eliminating the size and quota restrictions on private lands.

"My first-grade teacher told me my children might never seen an alligator," Hardwick said. "But my daughter sees lots of them -- in fact, we have one at home. Somehow, in 30 years, they've gone from 'endangered' to 'nuisance.' "