day 83
big pine key

"Allig? I thought it was Ally. Allig's even less clever." -k.
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The Blue Hole:
Turtles: 6
Fat Fish: 2
Key Deer: 1
Alligators: 1

Claim to Fame: One of the only bodies of fresh water in the Keys, visited frequently by all sorts of local fauna. The salt water is way down deep, but fresh water from the occasional rain sits on top, cool and refreshing.

Bumper Sticker of the Day
Wildlife We've Seen:
Cranes
Falcons
Hawks
Hooked Beaks
Key Deer
Geckos
Raccoons
Cockatoos
Seagulls
Pigeons
Chickens
A Dog

The Wildlife, Part I
Nov 17 - The smallest race of North American deer is unique to Florida. Sometimes called the "toy deer," a full grown Key Deer stands just 26-32 inches high at the shoulder. The adult has a deep red to gray-brown coat.

The Key Deer is found only in the lower Florida Keys with most of the population found on Big Pine Key and No Name Key. In 1954, the National Key Deer Refuge was established to protect a part of the deer's vanishing habitat.

A Gator Named Allig
There once was a gator named Allig,
Who lived in a place called Blue Hole.
Some people fed him while others they swam,
But most of the water was his dinner bowl.

So Allig grew braver with each passing week,
And no longer called his visitors "Sir".
He mistook a young miss for his usual fish,
and one morning before breakfast Allig-ate-her.

Do you think we could write a poem this dumb? We sure as hell didn't.
Uncontrolled hunting led to a serious decline in the Key Deer population which in 1947, had dropped to less than 50 animals. With the establishment of Key Deer Refuge and intensive law enforcement efforts by the first refuge manager, Jack Watson, the population had increased to about 400 animals by 1978.

However, with the increasing development and habitat destruction in the Keys, the deer are again suffering a slow but distinct decline, and the herd now numbers fewer than 300 animals.

Why you shouldn't feed the Key Deer!
  • Deer can become accustomed to hand feeding thus losing their natural fear of man. This makes them easy targets for poachers.
  • Feeding attracts Key Deer to roads and highways where many deer are killed each year by motorists. In addition, deer attracted to subdivisions are more likely to be harassed and even killed by dogs.
  • Adding unnatural food to the Key Deer's diet may have negative effects on the deer's behaviour and population.

       Trust us, our evening was a lot more interesting.


walk on the mild side...

Snapperhead

Pretty Bird

Electric Eagle

Chicken a la Parking
more photos in the archive...

Current Location
(get out your push pins)

Big Pine Key

Next Stop: Back to Key West

see the full map...

Today's Weather:
Turn Me Over

Daily Stats
Distance:179.6km
Gas: $0.00

Key Deer Deaths...
Last Year: 121
This Year: 102
By Us: 0

Sleeping Quarters
Bahia Honda

That smell doesn't bother us so much anymore.

Cost: $23.69

Bkfast: 
Cracked Egg Cafe
Big Pine Key
K's Order:Blueberry Pancakes
A's Order:Biscuits & Gravy
Cost:$11.56

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© 2001. Kevin Beimers and Aimee Lingman. Give generously to the Keys Disease Foundation.