NC Wildlife Commission provides tips to coexist with alligators
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Alligator sightings are becoming more common across the Cape Fear.
So far this year, WWAY has done stories about an alligator near the Leland Walmart, an alligator being found in an attic, and multiple alligator relocations.
Despite their intimidating appearance, the NC Wildlife Resources Commission says alligators are naturally fearful of people and will seek to avoid them — a trait that can disappear and create a public safety issue if they are fed by humans.
The organization reminds the public it is illegal to feed, touch, harm, harass or poach an alligator in North Carolina. While they rarely pose a threat to humans, alligators can become a nuisance when people either intentionally or unintentionally feed them, which causes them to associate humans with an easy meal.
To keep from unintentionally attracting alligators, people should not feed other animals — including ducks, geese, fish or turtles — in waters where alligators live.
“For the sake of other animals, keep in mind that even if you aren’t feeding them bread — which is nutritionally poor for wildlife and is known to cause a wing deformity in birds — it causes them to gather in unnaturally large groups and increases transmission of diseases between animals,” said Alicia Wassmer, the Commission’s alligator biologist.
On rare occasions, alligators can end up in situations that require human intervention, such as when one becomes trapped in a swimming pool or wanders into a public road and refuses to move. In those cases, only an authorized Commission employee or individual with appropriate permits issued by the Commission can remove it legally.
