If you live in northern Georgia and think alligators are just a Florida problem, prepare for a reality check. The Peach State state hosts roughly 225,000 of these prehistoric party crashers, and they are getting more active as temperatures rise.
🐊 What We Know: Georgia wildlife officials want residents to get “GatorWise” before summer kicks into high gear. These scaly locals make their homes in any water body south of an invisible line connecting Columbus to Macon to Augusta. That means if you live in the southern half of the state, you have neighbors with very impressive teeth.
🎯 Why This Should Catch Your Attention: Kara Nitschke, the state’s alligator biologist, says people spend more time outdoors when weather warms up. That creates more opportunities for awkward encounters with creatures that have been perfecting their survival skills since the dinosaur era. Alligators are native Georgians and serve important roles in local ecosystems, which means they are not going anywhere.
📋 The GatorWise Playbook: Wildlife experts say smart behavior prevents problems. Always assume alligators live in any water body within their range. They excel at hiding and pop up in unexpected places, especially after storms or floods. Never feed them, either on purpose or by accident. Tossing fish scraps into water counts as accidental feeding and breaks state law. Feeding alligators teaches them to associate humans with dinner, which erases their natural fear of people.
🚫 What Not to Do: Skip the wildlife selfies and alligator wrestling fantasies. Approaching, capturing or handling alligators puts you in danger. Keep pets on leashes and away from water edges since alligators cannot distinguish between pets and prey. Small children need constant supervision near water.
⚠️ Stay Alert: Watch for alligator warning signs and avoid swimming in areas thick with vegetation. Stick to daylight hours for water activities and maintain distance if you spot an alligator.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
