Why did the alligator cross this SC road? To become a viral star

It’s not called Alligator Alley by accident.

Austin Bond, a nature photographer, was biking through Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet Nov. 7 when he came across a crowd gathering on Straight Road - colloquially known as “Alligator Alley.”

Bond snagged footage of an alligator in nearly the exact same spot in 2019, so he knew what was likely happening as he got nearer the gathering.

“When they see an alligator, they stop and watch, “Bond said. “He was just kind of lying by the ground on the sidewalk, and I just happened to hit record when he decided to get up, walk across to the other side and rest again.”

State wildlife officials estimate South Carolina is home to about 100,000 alligators, and they’re no strangers to human interaction.

According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, there have been 23 non-fatal encounters between people and alligators between 1973 and 2020.

This year, the creatures have been responsible for two deaths — first at the Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht Club in June and then in August, when an 88-year-old Beaufort County woman was attacked while gardening.

The University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory says staying safe around the critters is “straightforward.” First, avoid feeding them. Doing so makes them bolder around humans and encourages them to seek out people, increasing the possibility of an attack.

Pets should always be kept away from them, and attempting to corner them for a photograph is also asking for trouble.

Bond said the alligator on Monday showed no signs of aggression toward passersby, save a deep grumble for cyclists who it may have felt got too close.

While more commonly seen the summer, alligators are active when temperatures are between 82 degrees and 92 degrees. The high temperature in Murrells Inlet was just below 80 degrees on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.

“I was very surprised to see him fully up out of the water when I came up on him today,” Bond said.