Massive Alligator Caught Not Once, But Twice, near Hilton Head, S.C.

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posted on June 6, 2014
wilder_ah2015_fs.jpg (18)

Finding an alligator prowling around the area is something that residents in the southeastern part of the country are relatively accustomed to dealing with—but finding a 12-foot monster that looks like it walked right out of a Discovery Channel special? That's a little less common. Even more so when it turns up a second time.

That's essentially what happened in Hilton Head, S.C., according to a report from The Island Packet. Last week, Critter Management owner Joe Maffo was called to help take care of one massive gator—which he estimated was 12-feet, 8-inches long and weighed nearly a half-ton—that had appeared on a local roadway. Maffo and his team showed up, wrangled the big ol' reptile and ultimately released it at the point of a local creek, expecting that it would decide Hilton Head was too much trouble and head for greener pastures.

They were wrong. The next day, Maffo responded to another call on the island—and came face-to-face with the same gator. He and his team corralled it, again, and released it—again. This time he chose a spot near a wildlife refuge. Someone managed to get some video of the monster during the release, which you'll find at the bottom of this post.

The Associated Press is reporting that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is actually planning on investigating the case, since "nuisance" alligators are typically eliminated, rather than re-released, for the safety of the public.

Get a look at the gargantuan gator yourself in the video embedded below.

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