Alligator Initiative by the Town of
Kiawah Island and the Kiawah
Island CommunityvAssociation
T
he Town of Kiawah Island and the Kiawah Island Community
Photo by Jack Kotz
Association will be implementing a secondary alligator research
initiative that will take advantage of the capture efforts from
the Conservancy study to better understand the behavior and
movements of Kiawah’s alligators in an effort to increase awareness and safety
across the Island.
Approximately 40 alligators will be captured and fitted with visible, numbered
tags so that they can be easily identified in the field by biologists, residents, and
visitors. Two visual tags (blue for males, yellow for females) will be placed on each
alligator, one behind the head and one on the tail. Capture efforts will focus on
areas of high human activity, including popular fishing and crabbing locations.
Several recent studies have suggested that capturing and handling alligators
increases their fear of people and, thereby, reduces human/alligator conflicts.
Observations of tagged animals will allow biologists to assess changes in alligator
behavior after capture.
In addition to visual tags, a subset of 12 alligators will be fitted with VHF
transmitters. These 12 animals will be located several times per week using a VHF
receiver. Both TOKI and KICA biologists will collect locations. Location data will
help biologists better understand movement patterns, home range size, and
post-capture response of alligators on the island. NK
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