Bears

We have bears in our backyard.  Dave spotted their droppings then a neighbor saw a bear standing in the middle of the road about half a mile away.
I prefer them to alligators.

Keep your garbage in special bear proof containers.  You don't want them in your yard.  They will die if they become dependent on the comforts of your yard.  Here we have black bears in people's yards and they reproduced to the point now they have an annual bear kill - and it sickens me.  The bears were here first and they could be captured with darts and moved to territory without people - there's lots of that in the Everglades. But when they become accustomed to "home life" they lose their wild instincts but will still be a threat to humans because they are, after all, wild animals.  The started hanging out at schools, too. They said it was too expensive for the city to provide trash cans that were not attractive to bears.  It's cheaper to sell bear hunting licenses and slaughter them.

I feel sorry for the bears, as you said they were here first.  We don't have near as many as you do.

Alice, I agree with your remark:  "I prefer them to alligators."
I hate reptiles of any sort and would rather take my chances with other wild animals.
DK made a good post.  The danger of wild animals becoming dependent on humans is real.  One must remember that "cuteness" does not mean "harmless".