Gators:not The Football Team (Charleston, Goose Creek: apartment complexes, condo, house)

[mysticsun]

I lived in Tampa for several years,and found out,yes Virginia there are gators in "All of the fresh water",even getting into swimming pools,and fountain ponds at apartment complexes.We know enough not to swim at dusk,or wander off into the shallows but,,, How bad are they in C-Town area. Can you get in the rivers,or lakes anywhere and be O.K.,or is the water just nice to look at?

[fqtravlr]

You can get in the water. Just pay attention to your surroundings. Gators can wander into the most unusual places, and yes, we have lots of them.

[CMMom]

My in-laws live in Hanahan on a "decommissioned" golf course (Eagle Landing), and there is a 7-foot gator that hangs out most days in one of the ponds directly behind their house. He conceals himself pretty well in that pond-not that I would ever want to swim in it! They do have to be very careful in their back yard, and I definitely would not let my small pets run loose out there!

[NS_Highlander]

Because Gators are cold blooded they are mostly dangerous when it is warm. I met a guy who used to remove gators and he said they are quite docile in the cooler weather. If a gator is in your local pond, they are not that hard to spot as you can see their eyes moving around on the top surface of the water. They also like to bask, but they prefer it when it is overcast.

[Rggr]

As you move up the rivers more inland you would be more likely to find them. Closer to the harbor and ocean, you will be fine.

[skitosea]

Last October while visiting my parents in Kiawah, while out playing golf, there was an Alligator on almost every hole, sometime more than one. Most times however I've only seen one or two, or none at all. They had a house with a pond in the back that had a Gator in it, (and sometimes on the lawn) but now they are on the Marsh and they are never there, they don't like salt water.

[pokrplr]

Originally Posted by skitosea

they don't like salt water.

hmmmm. We see them in Bushy Park, Goose Creek. They say that water is brackish but all the fish we catch outa there are salt water. And the damn gators in there are the size of our boat, some even larger...They scare the s**t out of us when they swim toward the boat.

[reubenray]

Daniel Island has a lot of them. We had a six foot one in our construction site a while back. He was trapped in one of our concrete footings. Had to get animal control to get him out. This was after a worker walked up on him and hit him in the head with a piece of rebar. There is a pond on Seven Farms Drive that anytime I look I see one.

[Condorll]

Are Gators in Charleston "protected" and if yes why?
Can I shoot one in self defence if it is in my yard and acting aggressive?
What is the penalty if I do?

[pokrplr]

Originally Posted by Condorll

Are Gators in Charleston "protected" and if yes why?
Can I shoot one in self defence if it is in my yard and acting aggressive?
What is the penalty if I do?

islandpacket.com | South Carolina's new alligator hunting season opens in September