Wildlife Safety in Sea Pines

Sea Pines Community Service Associates, Inc. (CSA) works directly with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to regularly manage wildlife in our community in accordance with their requirements. The Sea Pines Security Department is available 24/7 to address wildlife sightings and concerns reported in the community by contacting our security dispatch line at 843.671.7170. Sea Pines CSA also employs a full-time wildlife officer and wildlife biologist to help maintain the delicate balance between humans and our Lowcountry environment. While each report of wildlife is handled on a case-by-case basis, Sea Pines takes wildlife concerns very seriously and works together with designated authorities as appropriate to handle each situation.

Wildlife Guide

A Digital Guide to Wildlife in the Sea Pines Community

• Click here to view in a booklet format. Be sure to click on the FULLSCREEN option in the center of the cover for easy reading.
• Click here for a printable pdf version.

Wildlife Safety Video

We have chosen to make the beautiful community of Sea Pines our place to live, work, or visit. With this beautiful environment comes an extensive variety of landscape and wildlife, and with that landscape and wildlife comes the responsibility to always be aware of our surroundings.

• Click here to watch a short Wildlife Safety in Sea Pines video.

Wildlife Safety Reminders

• Don’t feed wildlife.
• Admire wildlife from a safe distance.
• Never come between a mother animal and her nest or her young.
• Keep your dog on a leash; never leave pets unattended.
• Never leave a pet’s food or water dish outside.
• If you have bird feeders, be aware that other animals may be attracted to the scattered seed or to the birds that you are feeding.
• If you have a swimming pool in your yard, always look before you or your children enter the water.
• Use a flashlight so you can see the ground at night in areas where venomous snakes might be present or alligators may be wandering.
• Keep your yard and home clear of clutter, it only attracts animals and provides shelter and nesting opportunities.
• Don’t try to trap an animal yourself without a safe trap and a plan. (Sea Pines Security will not be responsible for removing any animal you have trapped yourself)

To report a nuisance animal and request removal assistance, contact Sea Pines Security at 843.671.7170.

Alligators

Click here to view a Digital Guide to Living with Alligators

Click here to view a Digital Guide to Living with Alligators in Spanish

Important Safety Tips Regarding Alligators in Sea Pines:

• Assume every body of water contains an alligator
• Stay at least 60 feet (4 car lengths) away from alligators
• Alligators are ambush predators and can move faster than you or your pets
• Keep pets and children away from water’s edge
• Swimming or wading is prohibited in Sea Pines’ waterways
• Feeding or harassing alligators is dangerous and illegal
• When fishing or crabbing do not throw used bait or fish parts into the water

Signs of Aggressive Alligator Behavior or Situations You Should Report to Sea Pines Security:

• Closely approaches humans or pets
• Consistently follows fishermen or pursues hooked fish
• Displays aggression towards humans or pets, including changes in body posture, hissing or slapping tail on water
• You observe an alligator away from water/in an unusual place (e.g. yards, driveways)
• You observe people feeding or harassing alligators
• You observe people approaching alligators too closely (within 60 feet or 4 car lengths)

Immediately call Sea Pines Security at 843.671.7170 to report any aggressive alligator behavior or concerns.

Protect Our Sea Turtles:

• Lights out: The Town of HHI requires all indoor and outdoor light fixtures that are visible from the beach to be shielded so the bulbs are not visible or turned off between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. during sea turtle nesting season from May 1 – October 31.
• Keep the beach clean: Never leave beach umbrellas, chairs, beach accessories on the beach overnight. Nesting female turtles may get tangled in them, and for hatchlings, they are often impassable and disorienting. Place all trash and recyclables in the appropriate receptacles.
• Fill in holes: Baby turtles often fall into the holes left on the beach and get disoriented and fall to prey.
• Observe from a distance: Use a zoom lens and do not shine lights near the nests.
• Don’t harass: Don’t pick up a baby turtle to “help it” on its journey to the water.
• Leave nest sites alone: Do not disturb sea turtle nest markers. Obey these signs and please stay out of marked areas.
• Sea Turtle Patrol Awareness Flyer: Click here to view/print

To report light violation contact Town of HHI Code Enforcement Officers Weekdays: Wendy Conant at 843-341-4643 or Todd McNeill at 843-341-4642.

To report dead, injured or harassed turtles contact the SC Department of Natural Resources hotline at 1-800-922-5431, day or night and weekends.