Alligator Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Identification | Biology | Damage ID | Management | Handling

Overview of Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Habitat Modification

  • Eliminate wetlands where legal to do so.
  • Eliminate emergent vegetation.
  • Construct trails at least 15 feet from water’s edge.

Exclusion

  • Construct bulkheads at least 3 feet above high water mark along waterways and lakes.
  • Fences with 4-inch mesh with 2 feet buried in the soil.

Frightening Devices

  • Hunting pressure to increase wariness.

Repellents

  • None registered for alligators.

Toxicants

  • None registered for alligators.

Shooting

  • Where legal, shoot in brain with .243 caliber or larger rifle.

Trapping

  • Cage Traps
  • Cable Restraints or Snares

Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Habitat Modification

Eliminate wetlands to eradicate alligators. They depend on water for cover, food, and temperature regulation. Most wetland modifications are unlawful and can be detrimental to other wildlife. Check with appropriate conservation authorities before modifying wetlands.  

Eliminate emergent vegetation to reduce cover and densities of alligators. Ensure trails are constructed at least 15 feet from the edge of water. Keep vegetation cut along trails.  

Exclusion

Alligators are most dangerous in water or at the edge of water. They occasionally make forays over land in search of new habitat, mates, or prey. Concrete or wooden bulkheads that are a minimum of 3 feet above the high water mark will exclude alligators along waterways and lakes.  

Alligators have been documented climbing 5-foot chain-link fences to get at dogs. Angle the top of a fence outward to prevent climbing. All fences should be made with 4-inch mesh, with 2 feet buried into the soil. Alligators have difficulty digging in firm, dry soil but they easily excavate soil that is mucky.  

Frightening

Aversive conditioning and rough handling of captured alligators have been attempted in several areas with limited success. Pressure from hunting appears to be the most effective way to increase wariness of alligators and may be responsible for reducing attacks by alligators in Florida, despite increasing populations of both humans and alligators. The low rate of attack in Louisiana is attributed to a history of intense hunting.  

Repellents

No repellents are registered for the control of alligators. 

Toxicants

No toxicants are registered for the control of alligators. 

Shooting

Alligators can be shot during night or day. They should be shot in the brain with a .243 caliber rifle or larger. Great care must be used while shooting over water because of the risk of ricochet. Alligators in water sink almost immediately when shot, which makes them difficult to recover by gaff or snatch hooks, especially in current or heavy vegetation. 

Trapping

Cage Traps

Alligators are attracted to bait and easily lured to traps. Wire box traps have been effectively used to trap alligators. Use cages large enough to catch the alligators in your area.

Snares or Cable Restraints

Trip‐snare traps are complicated, but do not injure or kill alligators. An alligator is attracted to the bait and follows the guide boards to enter from the end of the trap with the snare. The alligator puts its head through the self‐locking snare (No. 2, 20‐inches diameter) and releases the trigger as it pulls the bait. The surgical tubing contracts and locks the snare on the alligator. Trip‐snare traps can be set on a bank or floating platform. A variation of the trip‐snare trap can be set on alligator trails and rigged to trip from the weight of the alligator.

Trip-snare trap for alligators. Image by PCWD.