Town of Hilton Head drops Critter Management after alligator incident on mini-golf course
The town of Hilton Head Island will no longer be involved in the removal of alligators from private property, according to a Friday afternoon statement from the town.
That change — prohibiting town-issued alligator-removal permits from being used on private property — won’t make much difference to island residents, though. In an emergency, call 911, as always. If not an emergency, call the S.C. Department of Natural Resources for guidance.
The decision comes 10 days after an alligator over 12 feet long was removed from a pond at Legendary Golf on Hilton Head’s south end and wildlife removal company Critter Management allowed bystanders to sit on the animal for photos before it was euthanized later that day.
The town’s change to policies would have likely prevented Critter Management from obtaining a town alligator removal permit last week. Town leaders also announced they were severing all ties with Critter Management and will no longer use its services.
Critter Management will not lose its business license, the statement said, because the town did not find any proof that Critter Management broke the law.
“The Town has previously, and continues to, vehemently condemn the treatment of this alligator after it had been secured by Critter Management,” the statement said. “This unprofessional and disrespectful behavior did not meet the expectations of the Town or of the Hilton Head Island community and cannot be allowed to be repeated in the future.”
The treatment of the animal led to two days of small protests on the island and statements from town leaders about the apparent departure from Hilton Head’s focus on respect for nature and wildlife. The Critter Management employee who encouraged the photos on the animal apologized.
“As soon as I taped the gator, I thought it was a good opportunity to get people to understand how big and powerful it was,” Joey Maffo said.
Later he said he was “sorry for letting it get out of hand.”
What to do if you find an alligator (and what has changed)
Moving forward, the town’s alligator removal tags, which are issued by SCDNR, will not be issued for removal of alligators from private property.
Instead, the tags will be reserved for alligators found to be a nuisance on town property.
The move effectively ends the town’s involvement in alligator removal from businesses such as Legendary Golf, but leaves questions for private property owners as to how to remove or relocate alligators they find in their backyards.
David Lucas, spokesperson for SCDNR, said the town’s move won’t change much for private property owners.
He said alligator removal can be broken down into two categories:
1. Non-emergency removal: If you see an alligator that is not immediately threatening your safety but is of concern, you can call SCNDR at (800) 922-5431 and a biologist will talk you through your options. If it’s decided the alligator should be removed, you can apply for a free removal permit and either remove the animal yourself or contract with a wildlife management company to do so.
Friday’s change means you will no longer be able to use a town permit and tag to remove the alligator, but Lucas said that happened very rarely.
Under the change, Critter Management would not have necessarily gotten a permit from the town last week, given that it was considered a non-emergency removal prior to the crowd of people gathering to watch the capture.
2. Emergency removal: If an alligator is acting aggressively or threatening safety, Lucas said property owners should call 911 and report what’s going on. The 911 operator will contact SCDNR and its contracted agents to remove the alligator with a permit.
You should not approach or attempt to remove an alligator that is a safety threat. Nothing about that process has changed, Lucas said.
This story was originally published June 5, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
