Rants & Raves: Living with alligators

On a Hilton Head alligator that killed a neighborhood dog:

It is so important to keep pets away from the ponds. The gators were here first. We need to leave them alone. Part of what I love about HHI is the wildlife. Accidents happen (when pets get out or people mess around in the ponds) but the accidents are not the gators’ fault.

JENNIFER GLATZ PALMER

If you have gators that are a menace then you remove them and place them in an area away from the population. They were here first. Leave them alone. They will move on to the next lagoon. Just be careful to keep pets away from lagoons and keep an eye on your kids. They are wild animals who can kill. Poor pup. What a tragedy.

MISTEE MCCLAIN

Nuisance gators, as they are labeled, are not relocated. They are destroyed.

KAREN KOWALCZYK WILSON

A sad story, with no winners. Ultimately, it was the dog owners who failed to protect their pet. I did not get the sense in the article that the owners accepted their role in this tragedy.

KEN BOYNTON

Believe me, I was and still am a supporter of wildlife and conservation, even after a gator ate my beautiful 40-pound Irish terrier last June. I am fairly certain this gator had been fed. A fed gator is an aggressive gator. Aggressive gators must be dealt with. Yes they were here first yadda yadda but let me tell you there must be a workable balance. Relocation doesn’t always work — they come back over land.

CHERIE J REED

They said the gator was obviously fed by humans. He must have been easy to catch. People feeding these gators, are causing their demise.

KAREN KOWALCZYK WILSON

Don’t engage with dangerous wildlife. A fed gator is a dead gator. Keep your dog on a leash. And keep your kids out of the water.

PAUL SPENCER

It’s a very sad situation. Unfortunately, pets get out without the owners knowing and I’m sure they are living with much sadness and guilt when they realized their furbaby had escaped. And the outcome. We should preserve wildlife but humans feeding alligators make them out of their born and more aggressive. It’s a lose-lose situation. Thoughts and prayers go to the owners; I can’t even imagine.

LAUREN DEMBECK

Plain and simple, move the gators — especially if they pose a threat to anyone. Drop them on a gator island somewhere.

VANESSA LOVE

The gator lived a nice long life. It was time for the gator to go.

LESLIE RICHARDS

Congratulations! Welcome to the southern coastline. Where at any given point, you can be found in close proximity to some that will kill you. Too many people have a hard time understanding this fact.

WILLIAM CLARK

I am all for protecting our wildlife. God created these awesome creatures and we as humans need to respect them and their homes. There are too many people feeding and harassing the gators. And if you own a dog maybe you shouldn’t live with a lagoon in your backyard! Just sayin!

JILL VERMILYEA-VARELLIE

I think it would be great if authorities could figure out who had been feeding the gator and then slap them with a major fine.

JENNIFER GLATZ PALMER

Gators are supposed to be removed before they reach a certain size from residential neighborhoods. How big was the gator?

MARIE DELOACH

Any child is more important than any gator.

DOUG VICKERS

Protecting wildlife.

MARIA ENAMORADO

#gatorlivesmatter

ERIK LOPEZ

Learn the rules of the wild before you move.

BARBARA GROOVER

It’s a sad situation all around.

CHRISTINE ELIZABETH

People over predators.

KEVIN GREEN

This story was originally published April 3, 2016 at 11:45 PM with the headline "Rants & Raves: Living with alligators."