Journal 3

Of all the places on campus, the place I enjoy most is the lake by Everglades Hall. Within the lake there are two platforms where turtles lay during the day and sun bathe, as well as sometimes you see birds wading to feed. The reason I really like this though is there is a small alligator that lives in the lake. I like to watch him float across the water; the alligator will come to the edge of the lake and just stay there. His favorite spot is near the handrails which are close to South Village Dining (SOVI), he will sit there most of the day and not move. I think the reason he does this though is because people are giving him food and since it is easy food he stays in the same spot. This is bad though since he has lost his fear of people, they have brought people out to look at having him removed. This is something I don’t like because without the alligator in the lake it will lose a lot of its appeal, and it will not be as enjoyable to look at. The turtles sometimes stay on the same platform with the alligator which I think is really cool and it shows me that even the top predators are gentle when they are not feeding. If the alligator is removed I am afraid he will be killed, and the lake will be missing its top predator, which may allow for more fish and turtles to breed but it will also allow other things to come in the lake that shouldn’t be there. So I would hate to see the lake go bad without the alligator.