Our view: Learn lessons from alligator attack on dog at lagoon
When an alligator killed an 85-pound Hilton Head Island dog this month, the world seemed stunned by the story.
But here in the Lowcountry, no one should be.
The dog was running loose and made its way to a neighborhood lagoon. It was apparently drinking water when the alligator attacked.
The gentle house pet was drowned. The alligator was subsequently pulled from the lagoon by a professional trapper and killed.
The grieving pet owners told the details in hopes of saving others from the trauma and loss. The thought of anyone letting children near the edge of the lagoons and ponds of the Lowcountry is chilling.
Let’s face the facts. Alligators are everywhere, and they are not going away. The Lowcountry population has exploded. The same is true for alligators, once on the federal endangered list. And the alligator habitat is mere feet from countless homes and offices all over Beaufort County.
Alligators generally mind their own business. While we have seen attacks on humans, they are extremely rare. We have seen a man lose an arm to an alligator while golfing in Beaufort County. No golf ball is worth the horror that can come by reaching into the alligator’s territory. We have seen a woman attacked when she unknowingly walked dogs near an alligator nest. We have seen a woman who was fishing attacked by an alligator that had been fed by humans.
Nuisance alligators can be removed, and that happens often. But killing every gator that is near people is not an option.
Alligators and people of the Lowcountry must learn to live together. The key word is “learn.” And the ones who must do the learning are the residents and visitors of the Lowcountry.
The main lesson is to never feed alligators.
And we must appreciate how quickly and powerfully an alligator attacks. They say not to let children go near a lagoon unattended, but the attacks like the one on the pet happen so fast it would hardly matter if an adult were attending the child. Just stay away from the banks of lagoons.
Lessons can be learned from the sad incident on Hilton Head. But only if people are smart enough to take it seriously and teach others of the danger.
Alligator Rules
Please heed the following guidelines from the Spring Island Institute and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory:
- Do not feed alligators. It makes them bolder and unafraid of humans. Do not feed ducks, turtles or any other animals inhabiting waters with alligators. This food source attracts the alligators as well and trains them to associate humans with food.
- Do not allow unattended children or pets to be near the edges of ponds where large gators are.
- Do not approach alligators.
- Do not harm alligators.
- Do not harass (e.g., throw things at, chase) alligators.
- Do not throw crab bait in pond after crabbing.
- Do not throw fish on bank after catching.
- Do not clean fish in areas where gators may interact with people.
- Do not swim in ponds or allow pets to swim in ponds.
- Be cautious if you’re in a secluded pond area; alligators nest there and females are very protective of their young.
- Do not attempt to catch alligators.
This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 8:47 AM with the headline "Our view: Learn lessons from alligator attack on dog at lagoon."