Video showing people "riding" restrained alligator prompts new bill in South Carolina

A bill increasing the penalties for bothering or feeding an alligator in South Carolina has unanimously passed the state House. The bill was prompted by a viral video of people sitting on top of a restrained alligator at a mini golf course two years ago.

The bill  would allow a $500 to $1,000 fine for people who "feed, entice, or molest" an alligator. The current fines are $100 to $150. The House unanimously approved the bill, which now heads for the Senate.

The bill was written after a social media post in 2020 showed players at a Hilton Head Island mini golf course sitting on top of a restrained alligator and "riding" it after a crew had removed it from a nearby retaining pond.