Alligator ‘Flat Creek Floyd’ is back; Georgia officials warn don’t get too close
By Don Shipman
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PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia (WANF) — Social media is buzzing once again this year with people posting pictures and videos of an alligator in Peachtree City. Wildlife experts remind everyone that while the creature is exciting to look at, don’t get too close.
Flat Creek Floyd is once again basking in the Georgia sun on the banks of Flat Creek in Peachtree City. John Hicks and his daughter Emma got a real-life lesson in wildlife biology.
“She’s learning about animals in school, so it was really needed to be able to see one here, close to home,” said Hicks. “I grew up visiting my grandparents in Florida, so we would see gators all the time, but you don’t think of them this far north. It definitely makes you think twice about going near the water.”
While Georgia’s gator population of about 250 thousand typically live much further south of the so-called “fall line” – like below Augusta and Columbus – wildlife biologist Kara Nitschke with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources isn’t surprised Floyd found a home in the metro.
“Peachtree city is south of Atlanta. It’s not terribly far from the normal range of alligators in Georgia. So, it could be this alligator ranged naturally that far north,” said Nitschke.
The DNR hasn’t received any complaints about Floyd so there are no plans to remove him. Nitschke warns though, to keep your distance, and never feed Floyd.
“He looks very healthy. I can assume he’s probably eating fish, turtles, and snakes,” said Nitschke.
Feeding an alligator can lead to them becoming too comfortable around humans, which Nitschke says can then lead to dangerous interactions.
Nitschke also says they have no plans to remove Floyd. In fact, moving him could likely do more harm than good. The only reason authorities would remove an alligator would be if they were spotted well north of Atlanta and wouldn’t survive a winter. Nitschke says Floyd seems to be wintering just fine along the Flat Creek, in Peachtree City.
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