A state park in south Georgia has closed its beach area after several alligators started getting too near swimmers, according to a media report.

A professional trapper has been brought into Reed Bingham State Park in Adel to remove the alligators, the Valdosta Daily Times reported.

Kim Hatcher, a spokeswoman for Georgia state parks, said alligators are naturally afraid of humans and tend to stay away, the paper reported. Human involvement in this park may have caused the alligators to begin coming too close to people.

“We like to remind people not to feed the wildlife,” Hatcher said.

Earlier in June, an alligator was captured by a professional trapper off Tybee Island after officials closed beaches there. The alligator was later killed.

Also in June, an alligator snatched a toddler at a lake at the Walt Disney resort in Orlando. The toddler’s body was found the next day.

About the Author

Keep Reading

A person walks past a voting sign on Election Day outside the Helene Mills Senior Center in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC

Featured

Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo