Photo By Eric Schultz | This large alligator was seen at Test Area 1 in the early 2000's... read more read more
It’s like clockwork: the weather begins getting warmer, and rumors about North Alabama alligators begin making the rounds on social media again.
Kelly Smith, who has worked on Redstone Arsenal as a supervisory conservation law enforcement officer for more than 15 years, said that alligators are just one part of Redstone Arsenal’s diverse ecosystem.
“We do have quite a list of different wildlife species here on Redstone,” he said. “We have most everything that they do outside the gates.” This includes everything from endangered and threatened species of plants and animals to deer, snakes and, yes, even alligators.
Just last June, Smith said, a small, 3.5-foot alligator was found in a pond on the Links, the Arsenal’s golf course. Smith and the Arsenal’s resident wildlife biologist removed the gator from the golf course and released it to a more remote area where it would be safe from humans -- and vice versa.
“The problem with alligators and golf courses is that they kind of lose their built-in fear of people, and whenever you have people and a large predatory reptile that close together, that could become a problem, so if we find them in those types of areas we try to relocate them,” Smith said.
However, finding gators in populated areas like the golf course is still an uncommon occurrence. This is largely because of the milder climate of North Alabama – Smith said Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal are located “at the northern edge of the alligators’ range” because of the potential for harsh winters. Though there is a reproducing population of alligators on the Arsenal, those occasional cold winters “take a toll on alligator young,” culling the population enough that it is not easily counted.
Alligators aren’t the only potential hazard that may be found among the Arsenal wildlife, though. Smith’s true specialty is snakes; before COVID-19 shutdowns, he taught several classes a year about the different kinds of snakes that may be found on the Arsenal, educating people on how to identify whether or not a snake is venomous and teaching them how to handle a snake encounter in the wild.
Smith also educates people on more common potential hazards, including wasp and bee stings, poison ivy, ticks and mosquitoes, and venomous spiders like brown recluses and black widows. He encourages vigilance, especially when individuals are on more remote areas of the installation, because many of these things are difficult to identify without knowing where to look and what to look for.
“We do have a good kind of micro-ecosystem of things out here, as far as, we’ve got swamps, we’ve got creeks, we’re bordered on the south end by the river,” Smith said. The diverse ecosystem and many remote areas allow various types of wildlife to flourish in what have become like mini refuges for both plants and animals. “Our operations here on Redstone, we work in the wildlife’s home areas, and so it pays for people on Redstone to be concentrating, you know, pay attention to what their surroundings are.”
If you do see an alligator on the Arsenal, Smith advises caution. In addition to being potentially dangerous, alligators are protected species, so authorized officials like Smith are the only individuals that should be interacting with the animal directly.
“If an issue comes up with an alligator, you definitely want to let us know first and let the professionals take care of the animal versus them taking it upon themselves to do it because number one, it would be illegal for them to do it,” Kelly said. “Number two, they’re opening themselves up to possibly being injured, so we definitely want to be the ones to take care of that if there’s an issue with a gator.”
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.09.2021 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 397265 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 106 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Alligators reside in Redstone’s circle of wildlife, by Emily Strickland, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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