Alligator Lured from Residential Pond with Raw Chicken Trap

An alligator in Georgia stubbornly refused to leave the residential pond it called home. That is until an officer arrived with raw chicken.

According to a Facebook post from the Bibb County Sheriff's Office, the alligator in question was found in the pond on a "newly purchased property" in Bibb County, Georgia. Out of concern for their "small children," the homeowners wanted the alligator removed from the property; however, it "refused to come out of the water."

So, the sheriff's office sent animal enforcement officer Rebecca Galeazzo, who used raw chicken to lure the gator out from the pond and into a dog trap. The "little guy" was then transported and released onto a piece of property owned by a doctor of animal physiology, where it will remain "away from humans."

A photo attached to the social media post shows the gator standing in the trap with its jaws opened wide, which almost gives the appearance of a smile. Behind the gator, the raw chicken hangs from the top of the cage.

The gator was not harmed during the removal and relocation process, the sheriff's office said.

An estimated 200,000-250,000 alligators reside in the state of Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

In 1989, the DNR instituted a statewide alligator nuisance program, which allows certified trappers to remove nuisance gators from populated areas. In Georgia, gators are deemed a nuisance if they are out of their normal range; have been fed either intentionally or unintentionally by humans; or are "so habituated to humans that they no longer move away from humans or become aggressive."

Luckily, alligator-human conflict throughout the state is rare. According to the DNR, there were only nine reported alligator attacks on humans between 1980 and May 2007.

Still, the sight of an alligator is enough to send a shiver down one's spine.

Commenters praised Galeazzo for her "nerves of steel."

"Oh! My y'all sho better not ever let officer Rebecca go," said one commenter. "Hooo lawd she got nerves of steel."

"That Rebecca is like the Bindi Irwin of Bibb County," exclaimed another. "Go, girl!"

"Our WONDER WOMAN did it again yea for officer Galeazzo," another local added.

Last week, a police officer in Florida had an unexpected run-in with an alligator. Newsweek reported that the officer took a selfie with the reptile, which was found stuck inside of a storm drain on a residential road.

"Talk about a Kodak moment! You can't live in Florida without seeing a few of these in your backyard," said one commenter in response to the photo.