Today is the 38th Earth Day, which at this point is more of a marketing gimmick than an actual movement to improve the environment. (Seriously, what the hell is this?)
It's a bit hypocritical of me to ask people to use less gas or recycle when I drive an SUV and drink enough Gatorade to keep Dr. Cade's family rolling in royalties. (Only about 10% of a Gatorade bottle is recyclable. But, I'm supporting UF, so it's ok.) There is one cause I think we can all get behind; save the alligator! From The Tampa Trib.
An alligator.
Deputies say the 8-foot-long reptile apparently pushed through the back porch screen door and entered the home through an open sliding glass door. It then walked through the living room, down a hall and into the kitchen.
Awww, he was just going to get himself a sandwich! (Actually, if it was an 8-foot gator, it might be a female. Males usually are larger if they are older.) The article goes on to say the gator was only injured by a cracked plate. Which is a funny thing to say because the gator will likely now be killed. Since gators have a strong territorial instinct, large gators have to be put down, otherwise they will just crawl back to where they came from. The next time you see this gator will be at your local butcher.
Alligators are not as cute or as endangered as a manatee, so it's hard to get people behind them or want to buy a license place with a gator eating something. If you see a gator, just let it chill out. It doesn't want to bother you and you should not want to bother it. Remember this the next time you try to play your ball near the hazard at the par 5 seventh hole, with Albert and Alberta floating a few feet away. Be a man and take a drop.
By the way, that is an old picture. It is also really awesome and really scary. Hooray!