Gators beware -- city OKs gator hunting

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla., Aug. 10 (UPI) -- After an alligator killed a golden retriever in Temple Terrace, Fla., the town has declared war against the scaly reptiles.

The City Council passed a resolution that gives trappers 90 days to kill as many 9-feet or longer alligators that they can find in the 6 1/2-mile stretch of the Hillsborough River that runs through Temple Terrace, the St. Petersburg Times reported Friday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Temple Terrace became the first local government to request designation as a targeted trapping area in Florida.

"It's an option that we offer municipalities that want to take a little more proactive approach to managing alligators in their area," said wildlife commission spokesman Gary Morse.

Many trappers may appear in the region to kill the alligators because of the $35 to $40 a foot that they receive for the reptiles, said Lindsey Hord, coordinator of the statewide nuisance alligator program.