3. Alligator Safety

For thousands of years in the SC Lowcountry, people have shared history and habitat with the American Alligator.

These animals should be treated with respect at all times. Give alligators plenty of space – if an alligator is blocking the path, is there a different route that may take you to your destination inside the park? If so, take it.

Have you ever heard the expression “a fed gator is a dead gator?” Alligators feed on anything from fish to birds to small mammals – even other alligators. They do not view people as a potential food source – that is, until the first time they are fed by people. Once an alligator learns to associate people with food, the alligator can very quickly become a nuisance. Nuisance alligators must be killed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Do your part to protect this incredible animal – observe alligators from a safe distance and never feed them or any other wild animal you may encounter during your visit.