Westchase: Where The Wild Things Are

Long before Westchase villages appeared on blueprints and bulldozers paved the way for Linebaugh Avenue, there were animals. Two decades on, with those blueprints now yellowing, many of those Westchase animals still exist, padding along our lakes and poking through our yards, demanding an uneasy coexistence with their human counterparts. “No matter where you live, you’re competing with the animals for habitat,” states Gary Morse, Regional Public Information Director for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Wildlife is an integral part of our Westchase community that we must adapt to. We should be neither scared nor instinctively violent. Instead we must be educated.

Annually, the FWC receives more than 15,000 alligator complaints – resulting in the removal of over 5,000 nuisance alligators. A significant number have been culled from Westchase ponds. Tampa native and FWC Officer, Alex O’Britis, explains, “When you feed alligators they start to associate food with people. Once they lose their fear of people, we [FWC] end up killing them.”

The state uses contracted trappers for large gators, normally anything over six feet. Westchase has been visited by Florida’s only licensed-female-alligator trapper. Julie Harter, a full-time special education teacher in Polk county, trapped her first two “2009 gators” in Westchase. The largest Westchase gator Harter trapped was a 10-footer by the Westchase Swim and Tennis Center. Wildlife officials and Julie agree that residents must understand the importance of not feeding alligators – no matter how small. Feeding alligators is illegal. By feeding an alligator, Harter says, a person is writing the animal’s death warrant.

Harter has run into some stumbling blocks in Westchase. She explains that Westchase is the only Hillsborough County community requiring Community Development District (CDD) approval before she can trap. Residents’ first step is to call the nuisance alligator hotline: 1-800-FWC-GATOR, but the complaint won’t be validated until there is CDD approval.

Just because gators are our neighbors, however, doesn’t mean kids need to be relegated indoors. “It’s not going to come out of the bushes and surprise you,” shares Harter. The lady-gator-trapper suggests that if children spot a gator they immediately go inside and report it to an adult. Parents can visit FWC’s Web site (www.myfwc.com) to download informative materials and printable coloring books designed to teach youngsters about these commanding reptiles.

Be cautious about your pets, however. In recent years, at least one family watched as their Labrador retriever was attacked in a pond in The Greens. The intervention of its owner – and a trip to the vet – saved the dog’s life.

Scores of Westchase residents have encountered the alligator’s cousin, the snake. Again, wildlife officials underscore the importance of education. Officer O’Britis says, “Teach your child to respect snakes, learn where snakes will most likely be, and learn which snakes are poisonous.”

Florida is home to six types of venomous snakes: the eastern coral snake, southern copperhead, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, dusky pigmy rattlesnake, and the cottonmouth. Some of the venomous species do slither though Westchase.

Vineyards resident Trina Borromeo had a three-hour encounter with what she believes was a cottonmouth. While trimming plants on her front porch, Borromeo noticed the snake inches from her hand. Borromeo ran inside and dead-bolted the door with the aim of preventing her two boys, 3 and 7, from going outside. She put on her snow boots, grabbed a shovel, opened the door, and poured snake-repellent-pellets on the snake. She made as much noise as possible, banging on her front door, in a futile attempt to frighten it away. Defeated, Borromeo sat and observed the reptile from her second floor balcony: “It napped on my porch the whole day.”

The snake situation spilled into the following day. Trina heard a lot of commotion outside, where the landscapers were spreading mulch. She saw the cottonmouth wrapped around one of the landscaper’s shovels. Borromeo assumed he would kill the animal. No such luck. “I am a snake lover,” he told Trina. He then tossed the snake into the conservation area, onto which the Borromeo’s front door opens. Its proximity has produced a number of wildlife encounters. Borromeo’s family has spotted raccoons, otters and an alligator. Another snake took up residence in the crevices of the family’s sliding glass door. “It feels like I live in Animal Kingdom,” jokes The Vineyards mom.

Westchase field manager, Doug Mays, observed that his crew has killed at least one moccasin during the current pond clean-up project. Since the crewmen use machetes, they are armed. “There are moccasins all over the ponds,” says Mays. But, residents shouldn’t overreact. Florida brown snakes are regularly confused for moccasins and are often unnecessarily killed. Morse of the FWC explains, “At this time of year, we’ll see snakes that are more territorial in nature because they’re being forced out of their habitat, but most yards are not the environment they’re looking for.”

Before killing a snake consider that some species help control the population of other nuisance wildlife – namely rats, which have eaten through the electrical wiring of at least one Greens resident’s BMW. If necessary, residents can use glueboards and funnel traps for snake removal. Morse also encourages parents to log on to FWC’s web site and print out the venomous snakes brochure.

Westchase is also home to a healthy deer population. One broke through the window of a Harbor Links residence: home of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback coach Paul Hackett. Residents were enjoying the annual Christmas parade when Santa spooked the deer, causing it to crash through Hackett’s window. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office was called out and, for several hours, “Rudolph” was too frightened to move. Officers and residents eventually lured it out of Hackett’s home by opening the sliding glass door. The Hacketts had to have the carpets professionally cleaned.

Westchase resident Bill Murray reportedly spends $60 to $100 each month to keep deer off his property, where they enjoy munching on his hibiscus plants. He’s invested in both electronic and urine scented deer repellents. Murphy’s most curious deer repellent is human hair, which he picks up from a nearby salon; the scent is believed to repulse the animals. Many residents find the deer to be both beautiful and a nuisance. Westchase’s Mays confirms that deer like to feast on freshly planted shrubs. He explains, however, that the greatest danger for deer in Westchase comes from automobiles, and he’s buried at least a dozen killed on the community’s roads. As with other wildlife, it’s best to leave the deer alone. Feeding them is off limits. If residents feed deer, they will associate humans with food. Morse warns, “They can rip, kick and bite. Plus, they carry Lyme disease.”

There are, of course, other creatures. Nancy Sells of Harbor Links has had sandhill cranes, turtles, raccoons, armadillos, and possums visit her property. Even a bobcat meandered through. “Living on a conservation area has been a delightful experience,” says Sells. She believes the property doesn’t suit the animals’ needs because some never return. Morse elaborates on the importance of not feeding the cranes: “It encourages nesting and they will defend their territory.” Sandhills can cost homeowners thousands in damages because they are known to attack any object – particularly shiny automobiles – in which they see their reflection.

In recent years, the community has seen increased reports of bobcats and even coyotes, which should give pause to those residents who let their cats freely roam the neighborhood. One creature’s pet is another’s midnight snack.

FWC officials are quick to remind residents that most nuisance problems with wildlife are caused by people. Both Morse and O’Britis suggest that residents don’t leave any trash outdoors, refrain from using birdfeeders, and adhere to leash laws for pets. Don’t entice the wildlife and most of it will leave you alone.

Mays reminds residents, “The animals were here first.” He echoes the words of the FWC’s Morse and O’Britis. “Sit back and enjoy the wildlife; take pictures. By leaving the animals alone, we’ll be able to enjoy them for a long time.”

By Tara Payor, Resident of The Vineyards; Cover Photo by James Broome