Watch for Wildlife

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), mating season for alligators occurs in May and June. Females start building nests of soil, vegetation, and other debris to deposit an average 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July. The nests typically stand two-to-three-feet high and seven to 10 feet in circumference. Incubation requires approximately 63 to 68 days, and hatching occurs from mid-August through early September. Our parks are home to wildlife. The following safety tips are recommended for our guests.

• Be aware of your surroundings and avoid the water's edge.
• Alligators, snakes, and other animals live in our parks.
• Do not approach, feed, or taunt alligators, snakes, or other wildlife.
• Pets, in parks where permitted, must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet.
• No swimming or wading except in designated areas.
• Use common sense while in our parks.

Coyotes are another animal found throughout Florida. According to the FWC, coyotes arrived here as part of natural range expansion from western states and they now live in every state but Hawaii. For information on how to Live With Coyotes, please watch this informative one-hour presentation from the FWC that the Broward County Parks Environmental Group hosted: Live With Coyotes.