A deputy in the middle of a training exercise in northeast Georgia this week had to deal with more than practicing crime stopping when he spotted an alligator, officials said.The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that deputies were training about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday around a pond off a road in southeast of Gainesville, Georgia, when the deputy encountered the large alligator.Officials said the deputy was laying a track for a K-9 team when he heard a hissing sound and saw the alligator with its mouth open before it charged at him.Officials estimate the alligator was between 7 and 9 feet in length.They said the deputy was able to run up an embankment and evade the gator and escape injury.A deputy captured video of the animal on Wednesday with a drone.The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was notified of the incident. Sister station WYFF spoke to a Georgia DNR official over the phone who had no information about this specific incident, but said sightings of alligators in that part of the state are very rare.They said 90% of the time when they are contacted about a sighting, it turns out to be an alligator pond decoration or a log floating in the water.When the sighting does turn out to be real, the official said it is usually a case of someone buying a baby alligator, then releasing it into the wild.They are not native to this area, the official said.Deputies said the pond is located in an area not typically accessible to the public, but they are urging anyone in the area to take precautions, especially around the water, including the stream that feeds the pond. Deputies also installed warning signs, cautioning the public about alligators, snakes and other wildlife that may pose a danger to the public.Georgia DNR officials said they will work with Hall County, which is in the Northeast portion of the state, to determine if they want the alligator removed from this location. If removed, DNR will coordinate with a permitted agent trapper to capture the animal, officials said.If released, they said the alligator will be placed in an appropriate habitat location well south of the Fall Line (“invisible” line that runs across Georgia – from Columbus to Macon to Augusta), such as a Wildlife Management Area. The trapper does have the option of harvesting the animal if it larger than 4 feet, according to Georgia law. More info about alligators can be found here.
A deputy in the middle of a training exercise in northeast Georgia this week had to deal with more than practicing crime stopping when he spotted an alligator, officials said.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that deputies were training about 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday around a pond off a road in southeast of Gainesville, Georgia, when the deputy encountered the large alligator.
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Officials said the deputy was laying a track for a K-9 team when he heard a hissing sound and saw the alligator with its mouth open before it charged at him.
Officials estimate the alligator was between 7 and 9 feet in length.
They said the deputy was able to run up an embankment and evade the gator and escape injury.
A deputy captured video of the animal on Wednesday with a drone.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources was notified of the incident.
Sister station WYFF spoke to a Georgia DNR official over the phone who had no information about this specific incident, but said sightings of alligators in that part of the state are very rare.
They said 90% of the time when they are contacted about a sighting, it turns out to be an alligator pond decoration or a log floating in the water.
When the sighting does turn out to be real, the official said it is usually a case of someone buying a baby alligator, then releasing it into the wild.
They are not native to this area, the official said.
Deputies said the pond is located in an area not typically accessible to the public, but they are urging anyone in the area to take precautions, especially around the water, including the stream that feeds the pond.
Deputies also installed warning signs, cautioning the public about alligators, snakes and other wildlife that may pose a danger to the public.
Georgia DNR officials said they will work with Hall County, which is in the Northeast portion of the state, to determine if they want the alligator removed from this location.
If removed, DNR will coordinate with a permitted agent trapper to capture the animal, officials said.
If released, they said the alligator will be placed in an appropriate habitat location well south of the Fall Line (“invisible” line that runs across Georgia – from Columbus to Macon to Augusta), such as a Wildlife Management Area.
The trapper does have the option of harvesting the animal if it larger than 4 feet, according to Georgia law. More info about alligators can be found here.
