With over 300 acres of wetland and upland preserves, as well as a variety of wildlife, there is no doubt that during your first year at Florida Gulf Coast University,  you will encounter one of the many wild animals that call FGCU their home as well.  The animals here at FGCU outnumber the students in living space. They inhibit 400 if the 538 acres on campus. Animals such as a coyote, raccoon or black bear, many times stray away from the forest searching for food and end up near the garbage areas near the dorms.  With animals such as alligators, wild hogs, bald eagles, venomous snakes, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and sometimes a panther or bear there is defiantly a need for awareness about these animals if you are going to be living at North Lake, South Lake or in the Fort Myers/Naples area. 

You should never go out alone at night especially on campus when there is not much security around. This is for your safety and to reduce the risk of you crossing the path with a dangerous animal. Most nocturnal animals are the more dangerous ones. Do not take your trash out past six o’clock or past daylight hours, many animals like to hang out around the garbage areas because they smell the food. Many raccoons tend to hang around the dumpsters, and they are very scared of humans so they are most likely to attack and have rabies. Other animals seen around dumpster areas are foxes and coyotes. They like to wander around alone and usually will run away if you approach them but you must still try to not get too close to one because you never know if they have been fed by a human before and associate them with food. Rarely seen, but have been spotted occasionally on campus dumpster areas are black bears.  They are very large and powerful and are hungry so it is advised that you do not approach one.  In the case that you do encounter a fox, coyote, bobcat, panther, or black bear it is said that you are to put your arms up and stand on your tip toes to make yourself seem taller to scare them away. If you see a black bear make sure that you maintain eye contact, act calm, and walk backwards slowly. Do not be scared if you hear it huff n puff and stomp its feet, this is common and bears do this to get you to keep your distance.
Now, don’t think that this is one hundred percent efficient, and go wandering to see these animals. The best thing to do to avoid encounters with these animals is to not take your trash out at night and to not wander about at night. It is not only your safety you should worry about but also the animals safety many of these animals are listed on the state and federal agencies as “endangered”, “threatened” or of “special concern” so you are encouraged to cooperate with the speed limit signs posted around campus to avoid hitting a animal crossing in the areas on campus with minimal or no street lighting.  If you do see a stray animal wandering around it is important that you take these protective measures for your safety and call the University Police Department  at 590- 1900. Then the police will show up trap the animal and relocate it on safer grounds more suitable for the wild animal. 
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/faqs_black_bears.htm
http://www.floridapanthernet.org/images/uploads/LivingWithPanthers.pdf
Sasha Quintero

At FGCU, there is a lot of wildlife. Even though it is very nice to enjoy the animals that live in the trees and ponds and wetlands; you must also know the cause and effect of everything you do. The FGCU campus is home to many animals of various species in the wetlands, trees, and lakes such as: black bears, birds, pigs, alligators, raccoons, snakes and bees. Even then though the FGCU wildlife is beautiful, we must go over what could happen. Everything you do will have a consequence, so more than others, but you must by aware of everything you do. 

These animals of FGCU vary from marine animals to air borne animals to land animals. All of these animals are beautiful and can be enjoyed if they are treated correctly and are respected. All the animals need to be respected not only for there safety but for yours also. Each animal has a different boiling point and react differently to everything.

Obliviously there are the consequences that you can see right away. Not only is there the physical effects to you, but animals should be respected and be aloud to live as they wish also. Animals have as much, if not more right, to this land than we are. Animals were here first and then we moved in and pushed them out.

Clearly all wildlife is dangerous, if you approach an animal there is a chance of an animal attack. All animal attacks have a chance to be fatal or be a serious injury. Touching any animal may have consequences, for example if you touch baby animals and leave your sent, the mother animal may not accept the baby back. If this happens then the baby animal will die with out its parents.

Littering can have a lot of consequences too. If you leave wrappers or beer cans around animals may attempt to eat the things. If animals try to eat our littering then if may die.

The most dangerous thing to do is feed the wildlife. If you start feeding wildlife then multiple things will occur; the wildlife will stop hinting for themselves because they know where they can get food without working and they will become less afraid of humans which is bad for everyone human and animal alike. If animals are not afraid of humans then they will wonder closer and closer to people and buildings. If an animal gets to close we could be attacked and killed or the animal may have to be killed be it is to much of a threat to human life.

One thing is true about all animals; they are wild animals and must be treated as such. You must be kept in mind that humans can have a very bad effect on the wildlife around us on the Florida Golf Coast University.

There was a perfect example on humans effecting wildlife in the 2009-2010 semester. A baby alligator moved in to the small pond next to Sovi. Many people stopped to look at the baby alligator, which started getting the alligator more use to humans and not afraid of us as they should. The worse thing students did was feed it. I know it seems like a nice harmless thing to do, but in reality feeding the alligator will kill it. The thing that keeps animals alive in the wild is its animal instincts to hunt, kill, feed and defend itself. If it knows that it will get food if it just swims by the fence then it will stop hunting for its own food. Which is fine until the free food stops, then the alligator will starve to death because it no longer hunts for itself. If the food doesn’t stop coming, then the alligator will become less and less afraid of humans and come closer to humans, which could end with injury or death to a human or alligator. The alligator was moved.

With so much construction happening around us and land being destroyed, we will need to learn how to interact properly with animals more and more. Less land and forest means more animal density, which is bad. Animals need space just as much as humans, so if there is too many bears in one area, then a bear might get pushed out of that area and into our backyards or campus, such as Florida Golf Coast University. So we need to teach them correctly, so the animals learn to stay away and humans and animals are not hurt or killed in the process.

The more construction and buildings being built will slowly shrink the space between us and animals. This space helps the animals feel safer and less irritable. This message will become more and more important to learn and practice. In time construction will increase and wildlife living space will decrease and animals will be forced to interact with humans more and more.

http://www.fgcu.edu/CRM/Images/10th-photos7.jpg