GULF SHORES — Years ago, a large alligator resided in the Wade Ward Nature Park on Highway 59. After "being fed by snowbirds," the gator began to approach people and ultimately had to be trapped and euthanized.

"It was heartbreaking; I had seen that gator quite often during my morning photo shoots," Gulf Shores City Councilman Steve Jones told Gulf Coast Media.

Jones brought up this situation at the June 2 city council meeting where he said he has received reports concerning people fishing and "actually feeding gators" in places where Little Lagoon runs along Highway 59.

"We're not supposed to feed alligators because they will become accustomed to that. They will seek human contact, and that's the last thing we need," Jones said at the meeting.

State law prohibits intentionally feeding or enticing wild American alligators with food, Jones said, as feeding can "potentially become dangerous" when they start to "associate humans with food."

According to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Administrative Code section on "Alligator Nuisance Control Hunter Regulations," lethal removal of an alligator is necessary when one has attacked people, is in an unnatural habitat or it cannot be caught and may be "unsafe to handle alive."

The code section states when lethal removal is deemed necessary, the "immediacy of the situation" is evaluated and the nuisance control hunter for the area is contacted accordingly.

In a section on ADCNR's Outdoor Alabama website titled "How to Live with Alligators in Alabama," safety tips say to leave alligators alone, swim responsibly, watch your pets and don't throw fish scraps in the water.

This aligns with something recently posted on the City of Orange Beach's Facebook page reminding fishers to not discard fish carcasses in the waterways during red snapper season.

"For all boaters, please dispose of unwanted bait and gutted fish well offshore, not at a marina or in inland waterways," the post reads. "If fish are gutted on land, double bag the fish waste and properly dispose of the bag in a covered trash can. Please keep our waterways clean! If you disrespect our waterways, you're disrespecting Orange Beach."

Jones said the Wade Ward Nature Park area now has signs posted stating feeding or provoking alligators is prohibited. Most of the new reports of feeding concern the area behind the sewer lift at Marsh Landing, Jones said. That area does not currently have signage.

Even without signage, Jones reminded those at the meeting that it is still illegal to feed or entice alligators in the wild.

"You are actually hurting them and causing danger to yourself," he said.