SANIBEL, Fla. — An alligator that was being illegally fed by people was trapped and removed from Sanibel Island on Saturday. 

Trappers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission’s (FWC) Nuisance Alligator Program captured the eight-foot alligator that was sitting in a small roadside drainage ditch on Olde Middle Gulf Drive. 

While typically this is a run-of-the-mill call, trappers say there was something else in the water that caught their attention. 

“There was three chickens floating on the water where people were throwing them in,” said veteran gator trapper Tracy Hansen. 

It’s those pieces of meat that tipped off trappers and Sanibel Police that someone was feeding the gator. 

“They had an idea who,” Hansen told ABC7. “The house and everything that was nearby.” 

Feeding alligators is against the law in Florida, punishable by up to a $500 fine. 

That is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to feeding an alligator, according to FWC. 

When gators get food from humans, they lose their instinctive fear of us. That means they’re more likely to want to interact with humans, which can often lead to tragic outcomes. 

“Once you feed an alligator, it’s almost like once they see humans, they start coming to them,” Hansen said. “They get pretty trained to it. Where a truly wild gator that hasn’t been fed will try to get away from us.”

The gator on Saturday approached trappers once spotting them. 

“We’ve learned to live together in harmony on Sanibel Island,” said Edie Ethridge, who lives on Sanibel. 

But not everyone has, especially since Hurricane Ian displaced many alligators. 

Just two weeks ago, a debris cleanup worker narrowly escaped serious injury after a gator nipped him in the knee. The worker was in the water collecting debris when the gator attacked. 

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Last December, another man wasn’t so lucky. The worker was washing his hands in a pond when a gator attacked, grabbing his arm. He went to the hospital with serious injuries. 

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“Usually it’s the person’s fault,” said Hunt Ethridge. “They’re in the water or they’re right next to it. They’re not paying attention.”

It’s also our fault if we’re feeding them, making them much more comfortable with us and potentially leading to attacks like this. 

“You don’t know who’s going to come to the water next,” Hansen said. You know, if it’s a little kid or something that can’t get away. Feeding any wildlife is a bad idea.” 

So before you even think about tossing a little treat out to a pre-historic predator, think again. 

Hunt: “Absolutely no.”

Edie: “Please don’t! Don’t, don’t, don’t!”

The gator trapped over the weekend was taken to an area gator farm. 

As for the person who was feeding the alligators, ABC7 asked Sanibel Police if they were facing any charges. The department hasn’t responded to our request. 

If you have an alligator that is causing a problem, call the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).