Lurking alligators prompt south Georgia park to close swim area...

[Phentex]

VALDOSTA, Ga. —

A state park in south Georgia has closed its beach area after several alligators started getting too near swimmers, according to a media report.

A professional trapper has been brought into Reed Bingham State Park in Adel to remove the alligators, the Valdosta Daily Times reported.

Kim Hatcher, a spokeswoman for Georgia state parks, said alligators are naturally afraid of humans and tend to stay away, the paper reported. Human involvement in this park may have caused the alligators to begin coming too close to people.

“We like to remind people not to feed the wildlife,” Hatcher said.




More at link:

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/lurking-alligators-prompt-south-georgia-park-to-close-swim-area/365295987


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[groundloop]

1. "Human involvement" - in other words dumb asses have been feeding the gators

I grew up in Florida, there was a county park I'd go to quite often to chill out and it was common to see gators sunning themselves. People understood not to feed the gators or to leave trash where they could get to it. Zero problems.

Fast forward to now, dumb ass tourists think it's cute to feed baby gators - which grow up associating people with food.

[Phentex]

2. That's true...

as I read it I wondered why this was happening more now when we always had gators around. But I don't remember people feeding them OR trying to take a selfie with one.