SCDNR revokes alligator removal contract with The Snake Chaser
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources suspended a local reptile wrangler’s alligator removal contract on Wednesday for not killing the creatures after capture.
Known as The Snake Chaser, Russell Cavender’s adventures wrangling snakes and gators have made him a popular figure in eastern South Carolina. He has worked with SCDNR for a decade removing alligators, he said, and employs six people in his company.
Per the contract with SCDNR, when an alligator is removed from a residential area, it must be killed in most cases once captured. When the government agency asked him if he follows protocol after capturing an alligator, Cavender said he did not tell them yes or no.
“I didn’t give them a straight answer, but I pretty much told them I don’t kill an alligator,” he said.
SCDNR Assistant Wildlife Chief Will Dillman told The Sun News there were some reports to his agency of Cavender not killing the alligators after capture, as required in the contract he signed with SCDNR. There are some stipulations that would empower an alligator trapper to not kill the animal, but it requires written approval from SCDNR, Dillman said.
The decision to end the contract comes after Cavender responded to several calls for alligator removals over the last few weeks. On May 6, he responded to a call where a gator was shot with an arrow. He did not notify SCDNR he was responding as he was concerned for the animal’s safety.
Cavender did not kill the alligator. Instead he said he gave it to a reputable veterinarian that could help heal the wounded animal.
Had SCDNR been notified of the injured alligator, Dillman said they would have sent someone to take it into their care. Instead, the animal was ultimately taken to Alligator Adventure, which notified SCDNR, Dillman said. It will remain in the reptile zoo’s care and will not be killed or released, he said.
Even before his contract was revoked, the Snake Chaser saw the contract stipulations to kill the alligators as “archaic.” On May 5, Cavender posted his frustrations with the requirement on his Facebook page.
“Most of you on my Facebook page know how passionate I am about animals so I will not say PUBLICLY whether I kill them or not, but again most of you know me and the passion I have for all animals,” he wrote. “I’m not sure but I might even get in trouble I hope not.”
Dillman said the reason they require the alligator to be killed is to keep the public safe. An alligator conditioned to be around humans can become more aggressive, especially around kids.
“The purpose of this alligator program is to minimize conflict between people and alligators,” he said. “The reasons we typically don’t allow relocation is because we don’t know the history of these animals, we don’t know if they’ve been habituated to humans or pose a threat. They also tend to wander back to where they’re originally captured.”
For Cavender, he wants there to be an alternative to killing the animal. He would like to see the alligators given to a zoo, animal preserve or placed in a special park.
Under the contract suspension, Cavender lost all alligator tags necessary to legally remove an alligator. In the future, if he responds to calls, he said he or the caller will have to get a tag from SCDNR before it can be removed.
Ultimately, losing this contract will have little affect on Cavender’s ability to run his business, he said. During his busiest year removing alligators, he remembers making around $3,000 from the government. In the Facebook post, Cavender said he made $100 for every alligator removal.
“As far as reputation, it might help me,” he said. “People will see I am out here trying to save gators, not to kill them.”
This story was originally published May 8, 2019 at 5:28 PM.