We are saddened to report the death of the alligator who many called “Stumpy II,” a well-loved inhabitant of the Wildlife Overlook lagoon and contributor to research on alligator health and population biology on Bald Head Island. While we aren’t always able to identify individual alligators, Stumpy II was recognizable because he was missing his left rear leg, likely a result of an interaction with another alligator (not to be confused with the “original Stumpy,” who is missing a leg and a foot, and is usually found in the golf course lagoon between holes 1 and 9. Stumpy I is alive and well). Bald Head Island Conservancy was able to confirm Stumpy II’s identity using an internal microchip-style tag that had been applied during capture for a research study. At his death at the end of August 2024, he was 9 feet long. It is unknown how old Stumpy II was, but based on growth rates of other southeastern alligators, it is possible that he was between 15 and 20 years old.
Stumpy II was captured in both 2019 and 2022 for a research project led by Dr. Scott Belcher from NC State University. This study focused on assessing the health of alligators in response to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and other environmental contaminants. Visitors to the Wildlife Overlook were able to watch and learn from the capture and health assessment of Stumpy II in May 2022. A blood sample from Stumpy II taken in 2019 was one of many from the region that were examined in a paper by Theresa Guillette (a member of Belcher’s lab) showing that alligators in the Cape Fear River experience high concentrations of PFAS that may contribute to health problems. We don’t have any evidence that water quality or contaminants contributed directly to Stumpy II’s death, but we will report any findings from samples taken for toxicology analysis.
Thousands of residents and visitors of Bald Head Island have enjoyed observing Stumpy II from the Wildlife Overlook platform over the years. Perhaps because of his injury, he did not seem to move around the island as much as some of the other large alligators. A major concern on BHI for years has been humans feeding or harming Stumpy II and other alligators that are relatively easy to access. Stumpy II died in the Villas lagoons, another easy access spot, and we hope that his death was not caused by human interaction but by natural causes. We may never be able to tell, but Stumpy II was an excellent ambassador of BHI and how humans and wildlife can live in harmony together. We have appreciated marveling at his prehistoric beauty over the years.
