MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — With proximity to the Ocmulgee River and Bond Swamp, alligators have long since inhabited the Middle Georgia region. However, it may seem alligator sightings and removals have become more plentiful.
“It’s a combination of things,” Rebecca Galeazzo, Lead Animal Enforcement Officer with Bibb County Animal Services, told WGXA. “You’ve got all of the industrial things being built right off the swamp. You’ve got the interstate being built, that’s driving them out on the east side. Additionally, summertime is ‘gator season’.
Galeazzo said 11 alligators have been removed from areas around Macon-Bibb County over the past month. Reflecting on a previous year around the same time, Galeazzo noted, “I stopped counting at fifty.”
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Noting Middle Georgia’s warm and humid climate, along with its proximity to the Ocmulgee River and Bond Swamp, alligators have long since inhabited the region.
Galeazzo explained that it is currently peak mating season for alligators, which are typically around six feet in length before reaching reproductive maturity. She reassured residents, “These are alligators, they’re not man-eaters. Adult humans, we’re not on their menu.” However, she advised caution with small children and pets. “If you’re close to the water, and there is one that is just absolutely starving, it’s going to go after your dog,” she warned. “Your dog is a four-legged creature, it looks like something it should eat, the same with small children.
Galeazzo dispelled the myth of running in a zigzag pattern if confronted by an alligator, stating, “That’s how alligators feed,” he explained. “Please don’t do that, because all you look like is a big ‘ole alligator Scooby Snack.” Instead, she recommended getting behind a tree, as alligators “cannot maneuver around trees fast enough to get a hold of you.”
She emphasized the importance of keeping a safe distance from alligators, not provoking them, and avoiding areas where they may be nesting. She urged people to stay away from riverbanks and shallow water.
“You’ll see them sitting on the banks of the river, and as soon as you see them, they see you, chances are they’re getting in the river to swim away, not to come get you.”
Unlike private alligator trappers, who she says must euthanize alligators over four feet in length, with permission from Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, Galeazzo said the alligators her team removes are safely transported to their natural habitat, to areas far from human populations.
If you do come across an alligator needing removal, contact the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number: (478) 751-7500