The South Miami Police Department issued a public safety warning Aug. 27 after an alleged crocodile attack resulted in the death of a dog.
According to police, the attack happened in the 6200 block of SW 64th Court in South Miami southwest of Coral Gables. It's an area with several small canals nearby.
A post on the department's Facebook page
appears to show a crocodile swimming with something furry in its mouth."Please keep children and pets away from canals, waterways, ponds, and other areas where crocodiles may be present," the post said. "Do not approach, feed, harass, or attempt to capture the animal."
According to NBC Channel 6in Miami, the dog was a shepherd mix named Kygo.
State officials have warned that American crocodiles may increasingly
be found in more urban areas of South Florida as their populations slowly rebound and it becomes harder to find habitat away from developments.
They've even noted that more sightings are expected on items such as paddleboards, jet skis and floating docks where they can more easily climb out of the water.
Because crocodile habitats are the same briny waterways that humans have shellacked with concrete for waterfront homes, the ashen-colored predators are coopting manmade structures and seafaring toys for their own survival, according to a paper written by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission scientists.
Crocodile populations have rebounded from a few hundred in 1975 to an estimated 2,000 today.
There have been two recorded crocodile attacks on humans, including a 2024 incident and one in 2014. Neither were fatal.
American crocodiles are protected as a threatened species
American crocodiles, distinguished from alligators by their grayish coloring and pointed snout, were named federally as an endangered species in 1975. Florida is the only state in the country where crocodiles live in the wild.
In 2007, crocodiles were downgraded from endangered to threatened.
Most live in Everglades National Park, Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay, building nests in the soft Earthen berms of Florida Power & Light's Turkey Point cooling canals and the exposed shoreline of Florida Bay.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: American crocodile attack led to death of dog in Florida, police say
