Jackson Progress-Argus

Photo by Rebecca Long

By Diane Glidewell

dglidewell@myjpa.com

An unusual call came to Butts County Animal Control on Thursday, Sept. 30: An alligator was in the street on Cotton Drive in a subdivision off of Covington Street in Jackson.

Lilja Kitchens, Butts County Animal Control supervisor, responded to the call with back-up from the City of Jackson Police Department.

The alligator, which was only about a foot and a half long, scurried into the grass along the road, according to Sgt. Corey Biles of the Jackson Police Department, but he and Cpl. Kevin Hill were able to capture the alligator and place it into a cat carrier to be transported to Dauset Trails Nature Center in southern Butts County. Kitchens commended Biles and Hill for their efforts in securing the situation.

Naturalist Gordon Respess of Dauset Trails estimated that the alligator is between a few months and a year old. He said it appeared to be in good condition and in good health. It is an American alligator, which is usually found in swampy areas in climates warmer than the middle Georgia winters.

There are currently three other small alligators who live at Dauset Trails. Respess said he is considering releasing the largest one back into its natural habitat. He said an alligator of this size would eat primarily insects and frogs in the wild. Alligators hibernate in cold weather and can survive in middle Georgia, but it is not their ideal habitat.

The alligators at Dauset Trails are on display for the public and are also used in the outreach program, in which they are taken to schools and other locations for educational programs. Respess said the new alligator seems "pretty laid back" and he does not foresee any problems in introducing him to the other alligators at Dauset Trails.

The snake exhibit in the Reptile Room at the Nature Center has been recently renovated. There are plans to showcase one of Jason Clark's Reptile Rescue snakes on a rotating basis in the Reptile Room.

For the upcoming Butts County Fair, which will be at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds from Oct. 26-30, Dauset Trails Nature Center is planning on creating a swamp habitat for its booth in the Exhibit Hall. The new alligator may find itself with the opportunity to meet many Butts County residents as one of the featured inhabitants of the swamp display.