ALLIGATOR STUDY
The Kiawah Conservancy, in partnership with the Town of Kiawah Island( TOKI), Kiawah Island Community Association( KICA), the Medical University of South Carolina( MUSC), and Clemson University, began an alligator study in 2015-16, focusing primarily on alligator health and physiology.
Adding to the initial study of alligator health, in 2017, captured alligators were fitted with visible, numbered tags so that they could be easily identified in the field by biologists, residents, and visitors. Two visual tags( blue for males, yellow for females) were placed on each alligator, one behind the head and one on the tail. Capture efforts have been focused on areas where nuisance alligators are the most prevalent, typically near popular fishing and crabbing locations. Several recent studies have suggested that capturing and handling alligators increases their fear of people, thereby, reducing human / alligator conflicts. Observations of tagged animals will allow biologists to document changes in alligator behavior after capture. In addition to visual tags, a subset of 12 alligators were fitted with VHF transmitters and five were fitted with GPS transmitters.. Locations are being collected by both TOKI and KICA biologists. Location data will help biologists begin to understand movement patterns, home range size, and post-capture response of alligators on the Island.
How can you help?
If you observe a tagged alligator, please report the sighting to Town Biologists. The simplest way is to use the Town’ s online application. Simply open the map, zoom to the sighting location, click the small alligator icon in the upper right hand corner, and follow the on-screen instructions. You can also report a sighting by contacting Jim Jordan( 843-768-9166 or jjordan @ kiawahisland. org) with details of the sighting( Date, Time, Location, Behavior, Tag Number and Color).