Probably not. There’s simply not enough fresh water in Key West, which has no lakes, no rivers, and gets significantly less rainfall than the Upper Keys, Everglades, or Miami. Occasionally, Key West gets American Crocodiles. Croc’s feel more at-home in our saltwater canals than ‘gators.
However, if you drive about 45 minutes up the Keys to an island called Big Pine, which has the largest freshwater lense in the Lower Keys, and head to the “Blue Hole,” you’ll probably see American alligators.
Originally dug out for road bed material during the 30’s and 40’s, an old quarry in the Key Deer Refuge called “Blue Hole” contains a lens of freshwater floating on top of heavier salt water. Hundreds of birds, turtles, and freshwater fish occupy or visit the Blue Hole. In October of 2005, storm surge from Hurricane Wilma introduced a number of marine fish to the quarry, namely tarpon, barracuda and mojarra. Biologists are impressed and surprised at how many of them have survived so long.
The Hole’s resident American alligators are frequently spotted from the Blue Hole’s viewing platforms. Currently, two ‘gators inhabit the quarry. They’re small, 5 feet long or so, usually hanging out right under the viewing platform, creating photo-ops: obviously, people sometimes feed them though it is illegal.
The Blue Hole almost seems more like a zoo than a wildlife preserve. Due to the tiny size of the preserve and the fact that these are the only ‘gators around, these animals and their habits are well-known to locals. The Blue Hole’s resident female was brought in by Florida Fish and Wildlife in 2008 after a 9 foot long male called “Bacardi” died from ingesting a plastic toy turtle. His mate, “Cola,” was killed by poachers in 2006. The current male resident ‘gator showed up on his own.
Unlike the owner of the deadly toy turtle, which we may presume was dropped in the water accidentally, Cola’s poachers were caught bragging about their conquest on Facebook. Someone turned them in, leading to their arrest and felony convictions. Attorneys for the young men responsible tried to offer up the “good ol’ boy defense:” This is Florida, after all, where fishing and hunting is a way of life! But the public was outraged. These particular ‘gators are vital to the local economy, drawing hundreds of visitors to Big Pine each year.
“Many good people believe that alligators were created by the Devil, thus accounting for their all-consuming appetite and ugliness. But doubtless these creatures are happy and fill the place assigned them by the great Creator of us all. Fierce and cruel they appear to us, but beautiful in the eyes of God. They, also, are his children, for He hears their cries, cares for them tenderly, and provides their daily bread.”
John Muir, A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf
