Nat Wallen Real Estate
https://www.natwallen.com/blog/alligators-in-charleston.html


Alligators in Charleston?

Posted By: nat wallen In: A Day In The Life
Date: Thu, Oct 16th 2014 1:57 pm

One of the biggest questions I get from out of town buyers coming into Charleston have nothing to do with the actual house themselves, nor the neighborhood.

What about Alligators in Charleston?

Photo courtesy of Thomas MoorerWell, we are in the lowcountry, and there are swampy areas around and these age old dinosaur like reptiles do still exist in the world...so the quick answer is YES, we have them.

With that being said, I have lived here my entire life and the only person I have ever heard of that has been attacked by an alligator was my second grade teacher. Mrs. Stevens was golfing one day and was fishing her ball out of a pond and got bit in the leg pretty badly. She had a bunch of stitches, but she survived and I made it into the third grade.

When we see alligator, they are generally out by a lake sunning themselves, or you can see their nose and eyes floating like a log in the pond.

Here is some common sense strategies to be alligator safe:

  • Don't swim in neighborhood ponds. (usually, every pond has one)
  • Be careful golfing. (might be best to just get a new ball)
  • If you live on a pond, and have children, or small pets... put up a fence.
  • If you see one, keep your distance. (don't try to feed it)

Other than that, we co-exist with alligators quite well. It is my understanding that most gators like fresh or brackish water, so when out in the boat waterskiing in the creeks, it is generally something we do not even think about. Better check my facts on that, as they very well may swim in salt water, but I have never seen or heard of any issues.

PS - Thanks for my cousin Thomas Moorer's photo contribution! He is an excellent photographer!