EAGLE NEWS (FGCU, Florida) 20 October 10 Sorry, Charlie the SoVi gator (Sofia Shepard)

The lake by the SoVi dining hall is home to a young alligator named Charlie.

Due to the fact that students continue to feed him, he will now be taken away and killed.

In the past, Charlie was relocated to a different pond on campus after students continually fed him. But Charlie found his way back to the SoVi lake through an underground tunnel system that connects all the lakes and ponds on campus.

"Living at SoVi, I passed Charlie every day on my way to get food," said Brad Sifrig, a freshman majoring in biology. "I felt a kind of connection with him and grew to think of him as a pet or mascot. It's a shame he's getting put down."

When students feed alligators, it causes the gators to lose their fear for humans, which can result in an attack on a student. For safety precautions, any gators who have been fed must be "destroyed."

Essentially, in feeding an alligator, students sentence them to death.

"It's really sad. It's humans' fault that these animals have to die," said Kristen Okolovitch, a junior majoring in English. "We should have more respect for animals and their habitats."

Florida Statute 372.667 states that it is a misdemeanor to feed alligators. If caught, the consequences can range from a $500 fine to disciplinary action by FGCU.

Additionally, a group of students led by professors and environmental scientists Dr. Win Everham and Dr. Phil Allman are working on an alligator-tagging project. A calibration of students and professors will be working on a process through October and November where they tag alligators around campus with yellow tape to keep track of them.

"I began it at the beginning of last semester for my senior project," said Sean Wilkinson, a senior and environmental studies major. "The red tape has finally been cleared, traps made, and tags ordered."

The students have now purchased the tagging gear and are hoping to start the captures this week. The team has past experiences capturing the alligators, and they are in close contact with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission experts, receiving tips on the safest way to capture the animals.

Okolovitch believes that the feeding of alligators could possibly be prevented by educating more students on the consequences of such situations, and by reminding them that the act is illegal.

Wilkinson's senior project could help researchers keep track of the gators on the FGCU campus and to ensure that the necessary precautions are made to keep both the students and the animals safe.
Sorry, Charlie the SoVi gator

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