Later, gator: North Augustan says backyard beast must go
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A local resident is scared to go outside into her backyard – and for good reason: There’s an alligator living there.
It used to be a peaceful backyard, but now it’s the reptile’s domain.
“I’m thinking to myself, being an older person that has physical handicaps, I don’t want this thing chasing me,” Sally Rahwertz said.
She’s not getting much help from public agencies.
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She called animal control at North Augusta Public Safety about the beast, which she guesses is 6 to 10 feet long.
“When he saw the size of it, it’s like, ‘Yeah, we can’t relocate that,’” she said.
Those officers called the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to see if its employees could remove the gator. They said they don’t do that.
She’s lived there for most of her life, but the alligator appeared just recently.
It’s an unwelcome guest.
“This has been my property or my parents’ property for over 60 years,” she said. “And we’ve never had a gator in the pond.”
She has one option left: To hire someone.
WHAT TO KNOW:
- Experts say the worst and most repeated attacks are usually made by alligators 8 feet or longer.
- Most attacks happen in water, but they can happen on land. A frequent pattern is that the alligator goes after an escaped pet, then when the pet owner follows, the human becomes a target.
- Alligators quickly get accustomed to people, especially when they’re fed by people. These alligators can get aggressive.
- If you’re attacked, try to roll with the alligator because they’ll try to grab and appendage and roll or twist. Hit the alligator’s nose hard and repeatedly. Try to gouge its eyes.
In South Carolina, report nuisance gators to the Department of Natural Resources. Licensed trappers can get permits to deal with dangerous ones.
Rahwertz ed someone to contract with, who told her she needs a special “nuisance tag” for the removal of an alligator.
“You really can’t do anything without a nuisance tag unless he chases somebody,” Rahwertz said.
She said one of those tags is on the way in the mail right now.
In the meantime, it’s scary for her to have a gator in the backyard, and the neighbors agree.
Kids are scared to play outside because their houses also back up to it.
The concerns about gators are well-founded: Just this month, a 10-foot one killed a woman on Hilton Head Island.
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