We’re going to need a bigger canoe.
A mammoth and aggressive alligator in Ocala National Forest has been attacking paddlers, forcing wildlife officials to close a popular recreational waterway indefinitely.
Kayakers and canoers have narrowly escaped with their lives after the aggressive 14-foot “bull gator” has rammed their boats in Juniper Springs, one of Florida’s most popular natural springs, according to reports and officials.
The kayakers and canoers have reported terrifying run-ins with the alligator according to Fox 35, a 14-foot male most likely protecting its eggs since its mating season.
The recent attacks have forced wildlife officials to close a boat ramp in one of the forest’s most visited springs.
A chain with a metal sign that reads “closed” hangs in front of the boat ramp to Juniper Springs.
“To help prevent human interaction and disruption, the Forest Supervisor and Ocala district ranger decided to give this alligator his space for the time being,” officials from the U.S. Forest Service wrote in a statement posted on social media. “Thanks for respecting our wildlife!”
Juniper Springs is an historic site famous for its clear spring waters, lush subtropical forest and hundreds of bubbling vents and creeks, according to CBS News.
It was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and is a popular destination for thousands of visitors each year.
The gargantuan gator did not cause any injuries in the attacks – yet – but has “actively made contact with canoes and kayaks,” the agency said
In light of the close calls, officials cautioned kayakers and canoeists to avoid the area where the “bull gator” is keeping an eye on his soon to be babies.
The attacks come in the wake of a fatal encounter earlier this month, when an alligator in Kissimmee State Park capsized a kayak and killed a woman despite her husband’s desperate efforts to fight the reptile off.
Alligator mating season runs from April through June and is followed by nesting season in the summer. Alligators exhibit territorial behavior these months, particularly near waterway embankments where, experts say they breed and nest, and where their eggs are gestating.
Frank Robb, CEO of Environmental Education Awareness Research Support Services, told Fox 35 that human activity, not just mating season, may be contributing to the monster gator’s belligerent behavior.
“It’s the warmest time of the year, and these animals are cold-blooded. It’s their most active time of the year,” Robb said. “When you’re dealing with an area that’s a high-public use area, it’s usually people that’s caused the problem so its animals picking up scraps or things left behind.”
The largest alligator ever measured was 14 feet and three and a half inches. It was caught during an alligator harvest in Brevard, Fla. in 2010. Wildlife officials say that the alligator going after paddlers is close to that size.
Juniper Springs Recreation Area is about a 65-mile drive north from Orlando and is a popular spot for swimming, camping and boating.
“There are hundreds of tiny bubbling springs and massive springs gushing out of crevices in the earth beneath a dense canopy of palms and oaks, an oasis within the heart of the desert-like Big Scrub,” the site said.
