The tragic story of a mother and daughter killed by an elephant while on a walk in a Kenyan forest brings to mind a number of recent stories about lethal encounters between people and wildlife. The combination of recovering numbers of certain large species and the expansion of humans into their habitats can only serve to increase encounter rates, and a certain percentage of those encounters will go badly. That's just the nature of the beast. So to speak.

We don't have to worry about elephants in our part of the world, of course, but look for an increasing number of horror stories about the American alligator. Alligator numbers are on the rise across the lower tier of states, after reaching critical lows in the 1960s. When the first list of endangered species was developed in 1967 (under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, which preceded the Endangered Species Act of 1973), the American alligator was on it. With protection, they recovered rapidly, and were removed from the list in 1987. Now, estimates place Florida's alligator population at well over one million.

In addition to increasing numbers, we're seeing gators gradually extending their range into regions in which they were formerly found. Just in the last few years, alligators have been seen in reaches of the Tombigbee River where they had not been seen in decades.

Meanwhile, people have taken to the water in increasing numbers. The summer months see thousand of anglers, swimmers, water skiiers, and other aquatic enthusiasts taking advantage of recreational opportunities in our lakes and rivers. The result in predictable. In the 1970s, there were three fatal alligator attacks in the United States. In the last decade, there have been at least 13. Expect that number to go up, and expect the occasional horrific story to cross your television screen. You might exercise a little common sense when you go to the river, too.