VALDOSTA —
Foxborough subdivision residents received an early morning surprise Thursday when James Harvey stepped onto his back porch and noticed an alligator in his back yard.
When Harvey realized the alligator was alive and seemed aggressive, he hurried inside to wake his wife, Jamie, to tell her the news.
“Startling to find an alligator in your yard when you live in a subdivision near a river,” Jamie said. The alligator’s mouth was taped shut with black tape.
Jamie asked her husband to call 911 or the animal rescue to get the alligator away from their home. Shortly after making the call, the Harveys learned there are few certified animal control specialists who can handle alligators. Two workers from Ray City along with a local specialist arrived to handle the alligator.
Billy Craft along with Donnie Bartow, certified alligator hunter for the state of Georgia, came to the Harveys’ property for the alligator. There are only six to seven certified alligator hunters in the area who can handle these situations.
Given the tape already around the mouth, it appears someone attempted to poach the alligator, Craft said, but the alligator must have escaped.
He also discovered evidence of leaches and ropes inside of the alligator’s mouth. Before gaining control over the alligator, Craft said it appeared to be highly agitated and hungry. Only six-feet long, the gator was unusually strong for its size and had foaming of the eyes which is usually a characteristic of larger alligators.
The alligator will be transported to an alligator farm in Oscilla, Fla., where it will be rehabilitated and released into the wild.
Today, Bartow and Craft are expected to return to the home to investigate bones that were found near the alligator. These bones remained unidentified Thursday. The Harvey family were unharmed in the encounter, but the fate of those who attempted to trap the gator and taped its mouth shut is unknown.
Local News
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Residents discovered a six-foot alligator in a Foxborough back yard Thursday morning. With its mouth already taped shut, officials believe the gator may have escaped poachers. Contributed photo
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Resident discovers gator in Foxborough subdivision
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