South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources is now accepting online applications for hunting permits for alligators. Those who apply will be entered into a drawing, and only about 1,000 hunters will be chosen for the hunt. According to this article, the alligator hunt has occurred every year since 2008. In order to be eligible for the drawing, the hunter must be at least 16 years of age and have a South Carolina hunting permit and tag. There are only four units in which hunters can hunt. Those that are chosen will only be able to hunt in there assigned unit. The SCDNR will be accepting applications until June 15, and the hunting season is September 9 to October 4. There are also additional limitations to the hunt listed on the SCDNR's website. A hunter may only take one alligator and the alligator must be four feet or greater in length.
The article was posted on Fox News' website under the tab "U.S." The intended audience is anyone interested in hunting and/or reptiles in South Carolina. I do not feel the article expresses any bias. It states the facts about the hunt. I found that the article didn't include much information. I had to search the SCDNR website to find out more information about the description of the event and rules for the lottery.
Article found from:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/05/01/south-carolinas-gator-hunt-begins-as-state-begins-taking-applications.html
More information:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/alligator/drawhunt.html
2 comments:
I saw this one in our local news. I personally don’t know any alligator hunters but am curious of their current status. I remember reading something about the American Alligator being removed from the endangered species list but wasn’t exactly sure. I also remember that incident where there was an alligator found on Folly Beach and they just killed it…like what!?! Anyways, it would be interesting to see the way this plays out. Even though there are limitations to the amount of game your allowed to catch, there’s always that one person that has to go overboard and create a problem for everyone else…overhunting, abuse…etc. I’m also wondering if their were any instances locally where a few alligators would wind up in neighbors backyards, seeing as that would be a nuisance. Will stayed tuned to see how this plays out.
I noticed that the article category was "Odd News", which suggests that SC's alligator hunt is an oddity that people in other states might find surprising. Certainly no in-depth reporting into the animal or its management. Might be playing into stereotypes about the South and/or about alligators?
The American alligator has been removed from the endangered species list due to population recovery. It doesn't seem like a hunt is necessary for population management (in contrast to deer, for example), so this may be more of a way to raise money for alligator programs and meet public demand by sacrificing a few individuals from a robust population. I'd be interested to learn more about how the hunt fits into DNR's alligator management strategy.
I don't know what measures are in place to discourage poaching. Many large alligators are killed if they are determined to be a "nuisance", which happens when they become habituated to humans (typically due to being fed).
Post a Comment