Report such a person and/or the event to the authorities immediately (in some states it is not illegal to feed alligators, although it probably should be). The act of feeding, as mentioned above, may be perilous to the feeder and to anyone who ventures near that alligator afterward. Furthermore, the An alligator approaches an alligator warning sign.alligator that loses its fear of humans will probably be killed by wildlife authorities as a dangerous “nuisance” animal, as mandated by current regulation, so the act of feeding a wild alligator may lead to its death. (In Florida, “nuisance” alligator trappers are not paid for their services but are permitted to kill the animal and keep the proceeds of the sale of the carcass to a processor so that it may be used in the hide and/or meat market.)

Authorities need to be aware of the situation so that action can be taken to preserve public safety. By reporting it you make a civic contribution by not only bolstering public safety, but in assisting in the protection of the alligator species from the undeserved negative publicity it gets when a human is hurt by one. So, in reporting someone, the objective isn’t to see him/her entangled with law enforcement, but to see a dangerous situation swiftly and properly mitigated.

If you live in the alligator’s range state, you may refer this directory of state wildlife authorities for contact information.

In this photo, an alligator’s presence dramatically reinforces the signage at Lake Alice in Gainesville, Florida.