Hilton Head woman tries to save 'Big Al,' the alligator

The State ^ | Apr. 28, 2009 | LIZ MITCHELL

[Peter Horry]

To some, he's known as "Big Al."

Others call him"Norm."

He's a 10-foot-long alligator who has earned such nicknames because of his intimidating size. It's his size that now has some worried he could be a danger, while others work to save his life.

"Big Al" or "Norm", depending on whom you ask, a large alligator in a Hilton Head lagoon that has some residents worried, and others determined to save.

For years, the reptile lived in a lagoon near Port Royal Plantation on Hilton Head Island. That's where he became known as "Big Al."

Last week, though, he went looking for warmer waters -- and probably a mate. The alligator mating season extends through May. He landed in a lagoon, not far from his former home, on property belonging to The Legends condominium complex on Dillon Road.

The lagoon is behind an apartment rented by Susan Conlin.

Conlin named him Norm, then screened in her back porch to protect her two cats, just in case he decided to eat something other than turtles and fish.

[Peter Horry]

I thought the policy was to relocate nuisance animals, but the story says that is against SC law. My bet is that people who want to make a pet, and a local attraction, out of a 10' alligator are going to get a surprise.

[trisham]

These people should learn a lesson from what happened on Sanibel Island.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/20/Tampabay/Gator_attack_ends_pro.shtml

[Puppage]

then screened in her back porch to protect her two cats

Because EVERYONE knows that aligators can't breech a screened porch.

[Edizzl79]

Why dont they just kill all the alligators now, ya know thats what will eventually happen, all at once or one at time over the next 50 years. Their just like indians, sure their fine if nobody can see or hear them, see them on your land, kill em and ask questions later, its the american way.

[doodad]

I have seen that bugger and he is huge. My wife’s company owns that course and I got to play it. He was too close to the cart path for my taste on a particular hole with a pond, so I took the LONG way around.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Gators are a neccessary and vital part of the ecology. Most of the wading birds would soon be in decline without gator ponds to nest over, and that is just one example of the part gators play.

My advice to anyone who is afraid to live near gators is to stay in Chicago or NYC, where there are no dangerous animals.

[camle]

i wonder if she would be so vocal had “big al’ eaten someone’s child...

[xone]

zot

[Peter Horry]

“i wonder if she would be so vocal had “big al’ eaten someone’s child”

I am sure she will be quite shocked when something unfortunate happens and she realizes that “the alligator did what alligators do”, at that point I doubt she will have much to say.

[BnBlFlag]

A 10’ alligator is a good size gator but it’s certainly not huge. I live in a County in S.E. Texas where there are literally more gators than people. This silly woman would go bonkers during gator hunting season here. There is a public contest on who can “harvest” the largest gator.
On the other hand, if one becomes a problem, the Texas Parks and Wildlife will handle the problem.
If that’s not satisfactory, there’s always the “shoot, shovel and shut up” solution.

[Peter Horry]

Post 10

How would you rate this one http://gatoralleyfarm.com/attractions.htm . I lived in Charleston, SC years ago and a coworker, and his buddy, were fishing with glo poppers one night. They heard a noise and turned on their lantern to see what it was. He said they were surrounded by over a dozen alligators, one over 12’ long .... it was an estimate as I don’t think they bothered to measure it.

[oust the louse]

Gators have been known to run at bursts of speeds up to 35-40 mph....If I see one on a golf course, I go the other way...if I see a gator playing the Ohio State Buckeyes in football...I get very sick to my stomach.

[BruceysMom]

yup. I’m with you.

[Peter Horry]

“My advice to anyone who is afraid to live near gators is to stay in Chicago or NYC, where there are no dangerous animals”

Are you kidding me, how about those two legged animals, not to mention the monster gators in the sewer.

[Joe 6-pack]

"He's a 10-foot-long alligator who has earned such nicknames because of his intimidating size."

In Louisiana, we use 10-foot alligators for bait to catch the big ones...

[Peter Horry]

Yea, we know about Louisian, your gators AND your wimmi (sic)

“POLK SALAD ANNIE”
Tony Joe White
(words & music by Tony Joe White)

(Recitation)

If some of ya’ll never been down South too much...
I’m gonna tell you a little bit about this, so that you’ll understand
What I’m talking about
Down there we have a plant that grows out in the
woods and the fields,
looks somethin’ like a turnip green.
Everybody calls it Polk salad. Polk salad.
Used to know a girl that lived down there and
she’d go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it...
Carry it home and cook it for supper, ‘cause that’s about all they had to eat,
But they did all right.

Down in Louisiana Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang
(a mean, vicious woman)

Everyday ‘fore supper time She’d go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess o’ Polk salad And carry it home in a tote sack

Polk salad Annie ‘Gators got you granny
Everybody said it was a shame
‘Cause her mama was aworkin’ on the chain-gang
(a wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin’ woman,
Lord have mercy. Pick a mess of it)

Her daddy was lazy and no count
Claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for was stealin’ watermelons out of my truck patch
Polk salad Annie, the gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
Cause her mama was a working’ on the chain gang
(Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need a mess of it)

[Joe 6-pack]

LOL...pretty funny for a Yankee living way up north in the Carolinas ;-)

[N. Theknow]

Gotta love golf in the South.

Last weekend we were playing Providence GC and while waiting to tee off on a hole there was an alligator in a pond to the left of the tee and another in a pond to the right of the tee and a bald eagle flew by at eye level.

My partner said, "We've come a long way. Here we are walking amongst dinosaurs and birds of prey and we're still carrying clubs in our hands."

[SWAMPSNIPER]

I like gators and the other Florida critters just fine. and in any conflict between a snowbird and a critter, I'm likely to side with the critter.

People move here because they think they'll like it, and right off the bat they want to change it! Maybe they should have paid more attention before they settled in. My folks have been around here for a couple of hundred years, and a gator never got any of them. We are smart enough to pay attention!

[SES1066]

... it was an estimate as I don’t think they bothered to measure it.

Chuckle, can't imagine why not [tongue-in-cheek]. Lived many years in Beaufort, just south of Charleston, and you could here the bulls roaring every so often in the spring. I recall one time when it happened, all of the frogs noises went quiet, they knew that the boss was around!

Now I'm in Florida where you get periodic stories about gators wanting to have breakfast and get into the kitchen. Others where a homeowner calls 911 because one is sunning itself up against the door. Long ways from being a deeply endangered species now.