Two dead alligators sighted by Columbia County citizens

It was a sight never seen before in Jones Creek subdivision - an alligator found on someone's front porch.

But even stranger was the fact that the alligator was dead.

"This was the absolute first incident of an alligator on this property that we're aware of," said Greg Hemann, club manager and head golf professional at Jones Creek Golf Course. "And being that it was dead when they found it, we would definitely question whether it lived here or was brought here."

The alligator was picked up at Susan Curry's home off Hannah's Crossing by Columbia County's Animal Care and Control department on August 10.

Curry said the alligator was more than five feet long, adding that a neighbor alerted her that morning that the animal was on her front porch. She later suspected the whole thing was a prank.

Another case of a dead alligator, however, was found with a severed head on the side of Louisville Road in Harlem on Aug. 17, said Linda Fulmer, director of the Animal Care and Control department.

"Maybe we have an alligator hunter around here," Curry said jokingly.

Fulmer said it appeared the alligator at Curry's house had been run over by a car and then placed there. She said the alligator's remains were later taken to her office and placed in an incinerator.

Fulmer said alligators in the county likely originate from the Savannah River.

"Us being close to the river, I'm sure they're in areas where nobody has seen them," she said.

Hemann said he's now advising Jones Creek residents to be more concerned about something other than an alligator.

"I would be much more concerned about the poisonous snakes that are found in those creeks," he said.