CAMERON PARISH — Starting Wednesday, the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge will close for an annual controlled alligator harvest.
The state says the refuge will be closed until noontime each day starting on Wednesday, September 4 and continuing until September 11.
KATC's Abby Breidenbach was LIVE at the wildlife refuge with more
Alligator trappers will be able to use these early hours to harvest the reptiles along the 26 miles of coastal Louisiana.
LDWF's Scooter Trosclair says that around 500 alligators will be removed from high-public recreational use areas in the refuge.
The harvest should take about a week to complete.
After noon, the wildlife refuge will reopen for the public to use its recreational areas until official sunset. Officials ask that the public be mindful of any alligator lines that are set in the area and refrain from tampering with them.
The harvest is so people can continue to safely use the area for recreational purposes. Trosclair says that the small nuisance harvest holds a balance between public users and wildlife issues at Rockefeller.
To learn more about the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, click here.
Not everyone can participate in the harvest and hunting of alligators at the refuge. Hunters will need to have specific tags issued prior to the start of the season.
Wednesday, September 4, also marks the beginning of the alligator harvest season in the western zone of Louisiana. To learn more about alligator hunting, click here.