By YOLANDA RODRIGUEZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/12/07
An alligator was on the loose Tuesday in the Chattahoochee River.
The reptile estimated to be about 8-feet long was sighted near Powers Island, just north of I-285, said Nancy Walther, spokeswoman for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
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Scientists and staffers with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources were trying to determine what to do with the alligator if they catch it.
"The water is about 72 degrees, so it can survive the summer," Walther said. "But once winter sets in, it can't survive."
"More than likely it was dumped there," Walther said.
Ben Johnson, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, said workers were looking for the alligator Tuesday but were having a tough time spotting it.
The department was putting boats in the water to try and find it and decide what to do next.
"It's going to be very difficult to locate in this murky water," Johnson said.
Alligators are more common in South Georgia, he said.
"Often when we locate alligators this far north in the state, it is one that has been relocated or released by a person," Johnson said.
"Anglers can continue fishing as always ... but the Georgia Department of Natural Resources encourages anglers and others to use caution as they would with any other outdoor activity," he said.
