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A sheriff’s office in Georgia has released drone footage of an approximately 200-pound alligator responsible for attacking a deputy and disrupting a training exercise during the early morning hours of Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), a deputy was preparing the K-9 unit for a training exercise off Allen Creek Road — four miles south of Gainesville — when he recorded a low-pitched, hollowed snarl at about 7:30 that morning.
Unbeknownst to the deputy, a seven- to nine-foot alligator was stalking him from an overgrown pond inaccessible to civilians without a permit. After having fired its proverbial ‘warning shot,’ the open-mouthed reptile leaped from the waterhole and charged.
“[The deputy] was able to run up an embankment and evade the animal,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook. “He was not injured. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR) was notified of the interaction.”
The following morning, HCSO First Lieutenant Dan Franklin deployed his drone and captured footage of the alligator within proximity to the Allen Creek Soccer Complex — where the apex predator remains … for now.
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While there are approximately 200,000 to 250,000 alligators in Georgia, they typically live south of a geographical boundary connecting Columbus, Macon, and Augusta — with “no evidence” of reproduction near Hall County, according to GADNR.
Of interest? Wildlife experts suspect the fully grown reptile is approximately 130 miles north of its natural habitat due to an “alligator chicken disposal” program dissolved approximately twenty years ago — meaning the reptile may have gone unnoticed for decades.
Or maybe not …
Since Tuesday’s attack, more than 500 Facebook users have commented on the sheriff’s Facebook page — referring to the gator as Phil – a “well-kept secret” who has resided in the area for “several years.” Considering Phil’s presence in the pond “commonplace,” several residents have gone so far as to request that officials “leave it alone” and “let it flourish.”
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While the animal’s fate remains unclear, deputies are encouraging the public to take precautions and stay alert throughout areas including but not limited to Allen Creek and Reservoir Seven — bodies of water adjacent and/or feeding into the aforementioned pond.
“As a result of (Tuesday’s) sighting, HCSO will be installing warning signs, cautioning the public about alligators, snakes and other wildlife that may pose a danger to the public,” concluded the sheriff’s office on Wednesday.
From 1980 to July 2023, there were nine reported cases of alligator attacks on humans in Georgia, including one fatality involving an 83-year-old woman in 2007. The remaining attacks were attributed to “accidents” — both on the part of alligators and humans alike, according to GADNR.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREW FANCHER
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Andrew Fancher is a Lone Star Emmy award-winning journalist from Dallas, Texas. Cut from a bloodline of outlaws and lawmen alike, he was the first of his family to graduate college which was accomplished with honors. Got a story idea or news tip for Andy? Email him directly and connect with him socially across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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