Feeding alligators: dangerous, unlawful Published June 19, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Andrea Posey 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Pest management removed an 8-foot-long an alligator from beneath a vehicle in the 9th Special Operations Squadron parking lot on Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 28. The alligator probably moved into the parking lot from a series of ditches and canals connecting the wetlands on base after the recent flood, said Kristal Walsh, 1st Special Operations Civil Engineer Squadron environmental specialist. Walsh said the alligator showed no fear of people, which led the environmental specialist to believe that humans may have fed it. "Alligators are naturally afraid of humans," said Philip Pruitt, 1st SOCES chief of installation management. "They quickly move away and submerge themselves in water if someone gets too close. When they lose this natural fear, they begin to associate humans with food, which creates a very dangerous situation." Pruitt said alligators are small-brained reptiles. "They don't have the mental ability to distinguish between a person tossing them food and the food itself," he said. "They become attracted to the human form as a source of food." According to Florida law, any nuisance alligator, more than 4 feet long, must be put down because they cannot be relocated. Feeding, capturing, attempting to capture or otherwise harassing alligators is punishable by six months in jail and a $500 fine, Pruitt said. The bottom line: Airmen should stay far away from alligators, Walsh said. If an alligator is in a dangerous location, call pest management at (850) 884-6173.