A local water quality researcher got a wild surprise during her latest sampling trip down Slocum Creek in Havelock.
Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register Seijo reports she paddled alongside six different alligators in just one hour, with one even swimming directly under her kayak. The creek is a known gator hotspot, and experts say the reptiles are much more active right now because it is currently their mating season.
Seijo was on the water for a yearlong, grant-funded project with the U.N.C. Institute of Marine Sciences. The critical ongoing study aims to monitor, track, and ultimately resolve a persistent pollution problem in the southwest prong of the creek, specifically focusing on the Wolf Pit Branch area to pinpoint exactly where the contaminants are coming from.
Despite the close encounter, she says paddlers should not be discouraged from visiting the creek. She reminds the people that American alligators generally do not pose a threat to humans unless provoked, and urges everyone to appreciate them from a safe distance and never feed them.
