By Lee Burbage
Jack Douglas, a humane nuisance wildlife removal specialist, trapped and relocated two alligators from the overflow canal in front of Dyson and Weston Houses Sept. 22.
“The one we caught in front [of the dorms] was about five feet long and the one towards the back [of Dyson house] was about four feet,” said Douglas, also known as Trapper Jack and the only person licensed in Chatham County to trap alligators. “We moved them to the Savannah River.”
Jason Rigsbee, associate dean of students and director of student housing, said Residence Life received a report about the alligator sightings early last week and responded.
“The main thing we would like to urge is safety,” said Rigsbee. “Students should not go down the embankment, nor should they feed any of the animals in the canal. Feeding the animals down there provides a food source for them.”
Ed Van Otteren, a senior wildlife technician for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), agreed.
“Providing a food source for any animal creates this relationship. They start to associate humans with food. The important thing to do is to just admire the [wild] animal from afar,” he said.
Rigsbee urged students to report any other alligator sightings to SCAD Security right away.
Throughout the southeastern United States and Gulf Coast communities, alligators may be present anywhere there is brackish freshwater, such as the lakes, coastal marshes and interior swamps.
They move inland through canals, rivers and streams looking for food, shelter and mates (mating season runs from March-September). As cold-blooded reptiles, they sun on river embankments, trails, and rocks. Wading birds, racoons, turtles and fish all are part of the alligator’s diet. In urban environments, cats and small dogs become delicacies.
“We’re encroaching on their habitat,” said Van Otteren. “So it only makes sense that they would work their way into the city. Most of the time it isn’t anything to worry about, as long you stay safe.”
According to the Living Among Alligators website, these tips will keep you safe:
- Never feed or entice an alligator by throwing garbage, bait or food into the water or onto the shore. It’s not only unwise, it’s illegal.
- Never approach an alligator, especially one that appears to be sleeping or is a baby. Alligators lunge and side-swipe to bite. The presence of a baby alligator suggests its siblings are nearby in a nest, and so is the mother, who will fearlessly protect her young.
- Swim only in designated swimming areas and always with a partner. Avoid swimming or wading at night or at dusk as well as in areas along the shoreline with thick vegetation.
- Do not allow pets to swim in areas where alligators may be present.
Van Otteren explained that a three-foot alligator could eat a cat, but it wouldn’t likely kill a human.
“It might leave a really nasty cut, though,” he said.
“When it comes to alligators, many people start to panic. I guess it is part of strange reptilian fear,” Van Otteren said. “People love turtles, but if they see a juvenile alligator around the same size as the turtle, they panic.”
Legally, though, the Georgia DNR is not not allowed to move an alligator that is under 48 inches long.
