No, feeding wildlife is not friendly. It’s dangerous and illegal.

The temptation to interact with wildlife by feeding them is real – especially for children – but the consequences for the animals and the public can be dire.

“Feeding wildlife can reduce their fear of humans, which may result in aggression and the need to remove or kill the animal to protect public safety,” according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website . “In some cases, feeding wildlife is illegal in Florida. Species with rules regarding feeding include bears, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, pelicans, alligatorscrocodiles, cranes and wild monkeys.”

In addition, the Flagler County Code of Ordinances, Sec. 13-2(7) prohibits the feeding of wild animals on public lands.

A Flagler Beach resident contacted the county Tuesday (May 7) after seeing a social media post of children feeding a child alligator at Wadsworth Park.

“The real problem is that people feel safe on the boardwalk over the pond, but most of the pond is open and accessible to people walking in Wadsworth Park,” said Michael Lagasse, deputy director of General Services. “People are naturally attracted to water features. We don’t want them approaching the pond and getting into an unwanted, potentially dangerous interaction.”

Flagler County Parks and Recreation staff are currently installing additional alligator warning signs (Wednesday, May 8).

Lagasse investigated on Tuesday (May 7) and reported that the 6-foot alligator swam toward him — likely due to “food conditioning” and unlikely to leave the area on its own.

“Food conditioning is dangerous for animals because it can lead to serious consequences, such as becoming sick, starving or even having to be killed if they become too aggressive,” according to the National Park Service website. “Animals can lose their fear of humans as they become accustomed to eating our food.”

To see alligators in Wadsworth Park is not a one-off. The three visible reviews on Tripadvisor about the park speak about it alligators.

The most recent, posted four weeks ago, and titled ‘Ollie the alligator!” said in part, “I saw it alligator! So much fun. He was hanging back and forth right in front of us…’

For reasons of public safety, the alligator that has been living in the Wadsworth Park pond will be removed by a licensed trapper.

“Flagler County residents know that wildlife and natural areas are an important part of our way of life here,” Lagasse said. “Most of us are aware that we need to give wildlife space. If we don’t do this, animals could become dangerous to people and pose a safety risk to the rest of the public.”