The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has launched a new website aimed at educating people on how to coexist with alligators safely called GatorWise. It’s now live in 11 southeastern states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
“So, we have it broken down into what we call the GatorWise Basics, and the first of which is just assuming alligators are present,” said Alicia Wassmer, an alligator biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. “If you're within alligator range, just being aware that alligators could be in any body of water and behaving as such.”
Wassmer said another basic tip on the website is to make sure people “aren’t either purposely or inadvertently feeding alligators,” similar to what wildlife officials would tell the public about bears.
North Carolina is the northernmost region of the American alligator’s range in the U.S. Wildlife officials say alligators are ending up in populations that are rising in North Carolina. Wassmer said the website site is a critical tool as the state's human population continues to grow, especially along the coast.
“We’ve been seeing this increase in the number of calls that we get from the public, with people with questions about alligators,” she said. “We know, just based on information about human population increase and the projected increase in the future, that the number of calls are going to continue to go up.”
Wassmer said last year, the Wildlife Hotline received 448 calls concerning alligators, with most coming from New Hanover and Brunswick counties on the coast. But she said the powerful reptiles also can be found inland in parts of the state, like the sandhills. To learn more, visit www.GatorWise.org.
