Page 41 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #12

In
focus

’Gator on

the green

At Kiawah Island Golf Resort,
South Carolina, alligators are as
much a part of the scenery as
pleated shorts and sand bunkers.
Like many other large, luxury
golf courses on America's east
coast, Kiawah's mosaic of ponds,
lakes, roughs and greens is
prime habitat for these ancient
crocodilians. After spending the
winter hunkering in watery dens,
spring sees the males emerge and
start to roam for food and mates.
“Males displaced from a stretch of
water by rivals often have to seek
new territory on foot, which means
ambling across fairways and past
driving ranges,” says producer
Mark Wheeler, who filmed the
behaviour for the forthcoming
BBC Two series Cities: Nature’s
New Wild. Roaming in built-up
areas can bring the animals into
conflict with humans, but out
on the golfing green, player and
predator seem able – for the most
part – to share the space in peace.
Photo: Mark Wheeler

ON TV
CITIES:
NATURE’S
NEW WILD
ON SCREENS IN JANUARY