SC House OKs bill increasing fines for bothering alligators

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A bill increasing the penalties for bothering or feeding an alligator in South Carolina has unanimously passed the state House.

The bill would allow a $500 to $1,000 fine for people who “feed, entice, or molest” an alligator. The current fines are $100 to $150.

The House unanimously approved the bill, which now heads for the Senate.

ALSO READ: COVID vaccine ban bill headed to South Carolina Senate floor

The bill was written after a social media post in 2020 showed players at a Hilton Head Island mini golf course sitting on top of a restrained alligator and riding it after a crew had removed it from a nearby retaining pond. The alligator was later euthanized under state policy.

A screenshot of the video was show in the House by bill supporters before the vote.

“We don’t want to get anybody hurt in this state,” Rep. Bill Hixon, a Republican from North Augusta.

(WATCH BELOW: Dog rescued while clinging to log in alligator-filled swamp)