‘Massive gator’ found in ditch was decades old and survived gunshot wounds, DNR says
A Georgia farmer was checking on an irrigation ditch last month when he made a monstrous discovery — a huge alligator.
It was measured at a length of 13-feet-4-inches, and estimated to weigh at least 700 pounds by members of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, who encountered what they called a “massive gator” on Feb. 18, USA Today reported.
The gator is estimated to be 50 years old but was euthanized by DNR after they removed it from the ditch, according to WALB.
“It was a very old alligator in poor body condition with what appeared to be gunshot wounds,” DNR wildlife biologist Brent Howze said, per the Cordele Dispatch. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but the best thing for the animal was to put it down.”
Ironically, the gator is believed to have gotten so big over its long life by avoiding human contact.
“This guy was hiding pretty good to get that big,” DNR spokesperson Sarah Hanson said, according to USA Today.
The gator had been in the ditch for approximately a week when the farmer found it, WESH reported. Staying in one place that long is uncommon for gators, prompting DNR to believe it was dying, according to the TV station.
It took three people to move the gator, “with several injuries,” out of the ditch, which is located off Lake Blackshear, per WALB.
“We have captured quite a few alligators, but none this large,” Howze said, according to CBS News. “It was a little unnerving at first given its size and power.”
In spite of it’s massive size, it was not the largest gator caught in Georgia. DNR said a 14-foot-1-inch gator was caught in 2015, and males can get as big as 16 feet, USA Today reported.
Still, this was a rare discovery.
“Alligators this size are not common,” Howze said, per the Cordele Dispatch.
This story was originally published March 3, 2019 at 5:37 PM with the headline "‘Massive gator’ found in ditch was decades old and survived gunshot wounds, DNR says."
