EUTHANASIA IS LEGAL IN SOUTH CAROLINA

Personally, I think wild life should be respected although I am not opposed to hunting for food, not just for sport. This alligator was there long before any major development of Hilton Head took place. Perhaps he should have been moved to Savannah's wildlife refuge where alligators big and small, old and young, enjoy life without harassment. 

Those who are crying "crocodile" or should I say, "alligator" tears about this poor 100 year old beast should also be crying the same tears for babies euthanized by abortion and other people being euthanized for this, that and the other.

LISA WILSON AND KATHERINE KOKAL

A giant alligator estimated to be more than 12 feet long and weighing more than 1,000 pounds was trapped Tuesday evening at Legendary Golf on Hilton Head. 
 

The gator later was euthanized, reported Savannah television station WJCL.

Photos posted on Facebook show dozens of bystanders of all ages watching as the behemoth was bound and put on a tow truck to be moved.

“It was the biggest gator I’ve ever seen,” island resident Daisy Bobinchuck, who assisted in the capture of the gator, told The Island Packet.

Residents were angered by reports of bystanders “riding” the bound alligator before it was removed. Photos show at least two people sitting on the alligator’s back for photos.
Online comments said the capture effort turned into a “sideshow” off U.S. 278.

Bobinchuck said she was working on binding the animal’s back legs when a handful of people started to sit on the alligator for photos. She said the massive crowd that gathered near the golf course “was totally in the way.”

Dana Maffo of Critter Management told the television station that the 80- to 100-year-old alligator was not being aggressive but was looking for food.

“Our intention was to protect our customers, team members and community by capture and relocation...NOT by euthanasia! We are just heartbroken,” Legendary Golf owner Lorraine Berry posted on Facebook.

Bobinchuck said the team from Critter Management wanted to relocate the alligator, but the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources ordered the gator be euthanized.

“We wanted it to be a rescue, and we were coming up with a different plan for it not to be euthanized,” she said. “But DNR was very strict about that. We had to euthanize it.”