Alligator spotted in Sea Pines with ‘something furry’ in its mouth as weather warms
An alligator was spotted off of Isle Pines Drive in Hilton Head Island’s Sea Pines with “something furry” in its mouth on Saturday, police confirmed.
It was unclear whether the alligator’s catch was a pet or a wild animal, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Bob Bromage said Saturday, and the alligator retreated back to the water before it could be inspected further.
While attacks by alligators are extremely rare, Beaufort County has more than the state average: between 1915 and 2019, 14 of South Carolina’s 23 recorded alligator attacks in have occurred in the county, according to previous reporting by the Island Packet and the Beaufort Gazette.
Attacks are more likely to happen in spring and summer during the alligator mating season, as warmer weather increases the reptiles’ metabolism and desire to seek out prey, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Temperatures reached the 60s Saturday, and are predicted to reach a high of 71 degrees Sunday, per The Weather Channel.
Victims were walking their dogs in at least four of Beaufort County’s 14 reported alligator attacks, two of which occurred in the past 18 months.
Sea Pines was the site of a fatal attack in 2018, when an alligator pulled 45-year-old teacher Cassandra Cline and her dog into a lagoon.
Cline’s husband is now suing Sea Pines Resort, Community Services Associates and Country Club over the attack, claiming that the defendants were “grossly negligent” and “aware” of the aggressive nature of the 9-foot alligator that lived on the property.
In August, a 68-year-old Sun City woman was hospitalized after she was bitten by an alligator while walking her dog Monday night in her neighborhood, according previous reports by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.