{"id":702004,"date":"2026-06-13T16:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/702004\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T16:33:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T16:33:19","slug":"keep-your-distance-alligator-safety-in-coastal-north-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/702004\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep your distance: alligator safety in coastal North Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Biologists report rising human\u2013alligator interactions tied to human population growth.Most alligator-related hotline calls come from New Hanover and Brunswick counties.Wildlife officials promote GatorWise outreach and urge never to feed or harass alligators.<\/p>\n

In the last two months, alligators have been spotted sitting on a front porch<\/a>, playing tug of war with police officers<\/a>, walking from house to house<\/a>, and on Tuesday, June 9, one was found shot to death.<\/a><\/p>\n

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Alligator Biologist Alicia Wassmer<\/a> said that as North Carolina\u2019s human population booms, biologists are seeing more human-alligator interactions in the state.<\/p>\n

The North Carolina Resources Commission maintains a Human Wildlife Interaction Hotline staffed by four full-time biologists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe numbers of calls that we got just about alligators in the last few years, it\u2019s more and more each year, and it\u2019s definitely tied to that increase in human development, particularly places like Brunswick (county),\u201d Wassmer said.<\/p>\n

\"Give Give alligators plenty of space, Alligator Biologist Alicia Wassmer said. FWC photo Where are you most likely to see alligators in NC?<\/p>\n

The majority of calls to NCWRC\u2019s Wildlife Hotline concerning alligators come from the two southernmost coastal counties of New Hanover and Brunswick, according to the commission.<\/a> Human populations have doubled in New Hanover and tripled in Brunswick since the species was removed from the federal endangered species list in 1987.<\/p>\n

North Carolina is the third-fastest growing state in the country, The News & Observer reported<\/a>. Unlike people, there is no estimate for how many alligators are in North Carolina, Wassmer said. North Carolina is the northernmost edge of the range for alligators<\/a>, with lower densities than locations further south.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re much more pocketed in the places along the coast where they live, and so surveys to come up with a statewide population estimate would be a lot more intense and time consuming and expensive than they would be in the core of the range,\u201d Wassmer said.<\/p>\n

Despite naturally lower populations of alligators, Wassmer said the reptiles are very important to the coastal environment they inhabit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just really important ecologically to the ecosystems where they live, so they are definitely a positive, have positive impact on the environment where they are, and we want to do everything we can to keep alligators wild and people safe,\u201d Wassmer said.<\/p>\n

\"American American alligators occur naturally \u201cin patches\u201d along North Carolina\u2019s coast, which is considered the northern extent of their range in the southeast. N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission photo What to do if you see an alligator<\/p>\n

Wassmer said the commission encourages people to reference GatorWise<\/a>, a multistate outreach initiative modeled on BearWise, an initiative to standardize information about living safely near bears.<\/p>\n

Wildlife agencies in each of the 11 states where the alligator is found are involved in GatorWise.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Gatorwise offers six crucial alligator basics:Assume alligators are present. They\u2019re good at hiding and will likely see you before you see them. They may be places you do not expect or have not seen them before, especially following storms and floods.Never feed alligators. Doing so causes the alligators to associate people with food, and is illegal in most states, including North Carolina.Don\u2019t dispose of fish or food scraps in water. Throwing fish scraps in the water is one of the most common ways that people feed alligators, often by accident.Never harass, capture, or handle an alligator. Doing so increases your risk of injury and death, regardless of the size of the gator.Be responsible for people and pets in your care. Leash pets and keep them away from the edge of water sources. Supervise small children.Maintain awareness anytime you are in or near water. Observe warning signs, and stay away from water and at least 60 feet from the alligator itself if one is spotted. Avoid swimming in dense vegetation that may disguise an alligator, and only swim in daylight. If an alligator approaches you, immediately move a safe distance away and report the situation.<\/p>\n

Wassmer said unlike mammals, alligators won\u2019t necessarily bolt if they see people, so you might be able to observe them \u2014 but from a safe distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnvision the length of a full-size school bus, you know, have at least that far between you and the alligator, even for the really small ones,\u201d Wassmer said. \u201cFor the really big ones, I\u2019d say even two school bus lengths is better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask the North Carolina Service Journalism Team <\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Eva Flowe<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Eva Flowe is a North Carolina native and a graduate of the University of South Carolina. She joined the Charlotte Observer as part of the NC service journalism team in April 2026.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. Read our AI Policy. Biologists report rising human\u2013alligator interactions tied to human…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":702005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[79,201],"class_list":["post-702004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}