Chatham County PD finds, releases gator back into the wild unharmed

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Monday, Chatham County Police officers responded to a “dangerous animal call” on Redding Court.

“When we arrived we found this gator and, honestly, the people in the neighborhood wanted him out of there. (Who can blame them),” wrote the Chatham County Police Department.

Police said they have responded to these kinds of calls before so officers knew exactly what to do.

“Officer Pascoe held the gator’s body while Officer Marcantel held his snout shut so that Officer Coleman could wrap the gator’s mouth with duct tape,” described the Chatham County Police Department.

Officer Marcantel put the gator in the back of his patrol car and drove him to the Al Bungard Conservation area.

In a social media post, the police department shared a picture of the gator in the back of their patrol vehicle.

In the comment section of their post they clarified that, “The patrol vehicles have a protective barrier between the back seat and the front seat. So, this gator could have the run of the backseat during the car ride without being a danger to our officer. (We didn’t handcuff the gator, like we do someone who is under arrest. This was a courtesy ride...lol.)”

The officers then released the alligator back into the wild unharmed.

“The gator swam away and we’re guessing feels much more at home in this pond than on Redding Court,” concluded the police department.