It turns out humans are not the only ones who enjoy a nice dip in the swimming pool. Local authorities in a town in North Carolina got a call for an unusual offender the other day. A community pool in Holly Ridge, North Carolina, had an unlikely swimmer stop by and take a dip. Watch as an officer from the Holly Ridge Police Department removes an alligator from the community pool.
Local Authorities Remove Alligator From Community Pool
USA TODAY shares that the Holly Ridge Police Department got a call last Friday around 6:30 a.m. with a request to remove an unwanted visitor from the community pool. Video footage shows just how fearless these officers were. One woman chased the alligator towards the pool's edge with a long net. Then, the officer named Austin reaches in and grabs the alligator with his bare hands.
You can hear a colleague say, "Just be careful when he snaps back, Austin." However, Austin still makes the brave decision to remove this alligator from the community pool with nothing but his hands. He reaches behind the animal and grabs it by its tail. He makes multiple attempts to grab behind its head, but the alligator squirms too much for him to get a good handle on it.
After a few moments of watching Officer Austin struggle, one of his colleagues finds a solution. You can hear her say, "Jen put the net over his mouth for us." Next, the woman named Jen grabs the pool net and gently places it over the alligator's mouth. Then, working together, the pair was able to safely remove the gator from the pool without any harm to them or the animal.
Community Saviors
Screenshot from FB Video
After pulling the alligator from the community pool, the officers then had to relocate it. Once it was removed from the area, the officers released it in a pond across the street. According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, seeing alligators in the state is not uncommon. They claim, "American alligators occur naturally in North Carolina, inhabiting bay lakes, rivers, creeks, marshes, swamps, and ponds, with local populations distributed in patches along the coast."
While alligators typically stay in the areas listed above, more and more development is beginning to push these animals out of their wild habitats. Holly Ridge Police Chief spoke to USA TODAY about the pool's surrounding area and why the alligators may be drawn to it. He states, "Development pushed them into areas that they previously didn't live." He continues, "This development is near a state park with lowlands, and the development has large lakes/ponds, so the alligators are naturally attracted."
Knowing that this community pool is located near the alligator's preferred natural habitats, I am sure the local community will be keeping a keen eye out for more unexpected visitors. Luckily for this town, they have Officer Austin and a great police staff who are now experts at removing an alligator from a community pool.
