A police officer's ill-advised attempt to wrangle an alligator in someone's front yard went sideways in a hurry. The popular video shared on Facebook shows how lucky the officer was to walk away from the incident.
WCIV reported on a video of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, police officers dealing with an alligator, but for locals, the scene was less a bizarre one-off than a reminder that gator season is very much a real thing.
As temperatures rise and mating season begins, residents in the Park West community said they've been seeing more alligators moving through yards, across sidewalks, and along pond edges.
The footage shows an officer attempting to secure the gator by getting on its back, but the massive animal wasn't having it and quickly bucked the officer off. The officer rolled off the front of the gator and was able to get clear of the huge reptile.
For people who live in Park West, the video showed something familiar. Resident Dakota Dahabi told WCIV that there have been "at least four gator sightings" in the neighborhood and that "this year is definitely more sightings than in the past years that I've lived here."
Neighbors said they've seen large alligators crossing sidewalks and cutting through yards as they move between ponds. In one recent case, Dahabi said, a 7- or 8-foot gator made its way through the area while nearby dads helped guide it back toward the water.
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Mount Pleasant officials later warned that neither residents nor officers should try to wrangle an alligator themselves, per WCIV. If it poses an urgent safety threat, people should call 911. If they have an alligator on their property that is not an immediate threat, they should contact the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Neighborhoods overlap with natural movement corridors such as ponds, drainage areas, and wetlands. In places like Park West, that can mean more frequent encounters as alligators move through spaces people also use every day.
Residents told WCIV that some people have been feeding gators at neighborhood ponds, even though doing so is illegal in South Carolina. Wildlife officials warn that feeding alligators teaches them to associate humans with food, which can cause them to lose their natural fear of people.
Frances Morison said recent sightings have changed how some neighbors start their mornings, with people checking their yards before stepping outside and her husband carrying a flashlight before sunrise.
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In spring and early summer, warmer weather increases alligator movement. Officials said people living near ponds should keep their distance and leave the animal alone whenever possible. In many cases, an alligator that is not disturbed will simply keep moving.
"I would just say use common sense," Dahabi said, per WCIV. "I think leave them be." Morison put it even more plainly: "We need to leave nature alone."
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