THE DAILY WIRE · FLORIDA · 2026-10-29
A Reminder That Florida Waters Have A Tip Jar, And It Bites
A Florida fisherman reports he nearly lost a hand after an alligator decided his freshly caught fish belonged to someone else, namely the alligator.
According to the account, the animal moved in on the catch mid-handling, resulting in a close call this column is filing under the long-running Florida subcategory of Nature Charges Interest On Your Hobbies.
Webster would note that alligators are opportunistic feeders with little patience for human claims of ownership, and that any fisherman working Florida waters should assume the local wildlife considers a hooked fish a shared resource.
For an expert gut-check, this reporter located Benny, a Florida pelican with extensive personal experience losing fish to larger, toothier animals. His assessment of the incident carries the authority of repeated victimhood.
The fisherman kept his hand and, this column assumes, found a new appreciation for fishing somewhere with fewer apex predators. Spun and done.
“I've had my own fish stolen mid-air more times than I can count, usually by my cousin, so I don't love the alligator doing it with teeth attached. Rule one of fishing near a Florida waterway: the gator always thinks your catch is a tip.” — Benny, Florida pelican
Open this column on the Daily Wire →
Zoos News — Real News. Real Animals. The stories are real; the columnist has eight eyes. Home · Wire archive