The incident occurred just after noon, when Gloria Serge . Please reload the page and try again. Wildlife officials said it was one of the worst gator attacks in the state, but no one saw it except the victim. "Several years ago back in 2010 there was a seven-foot alligator crossing I-85 in Coweta County, and my dad actually went and caught that alligator for me," Clark said. Russell, of Gator Getter Consultants, emphasized that people who live near any body of water need to be. It's not uncommon here, residents said, to hear the high-pitch snarls of young gators crying at night. Read moreProposed SC bill spreads fear of being annexed in historic Black communities, The Post and Courier Our first question for Young was how in the world do these warm water animals survive a Colorado winter? Goose Creek Reservoir a 600-acre impoundment in Berkeley County roughly 100 miles northeast of the site of Monday's attack is known by many as a gator haven. The nitwits that thought they were just feeding Big Al ought to face stiff fines for essentially leading the animal to its demise. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In 2006 the owners of Morris asked if we could take him because they couldnt handle him anymore, said Young. High 81F. A 12-foot alligator bit off and swallowed a man's arm this afternoon in Lake Moultrie. Id like to join McConnell in wanting it both ways too. But before Cline's death Monday, only one other person in the state's history was known to have died in an alligator attack. Bill Hedden, 59, is being treated at the Medical University of South Carolina hospital. If youre as appalled as I was over the senseless abuse of Big Al and know something about it, call the DNRs hotline at 1-800-922-5431. He went down to the water to investigate, finding a large amount of feathers scattered across the surface of the reservoir. People found out about them and wanted to see them so we opened up to the public and started showing people around, said Young. They live 60 to 90 years, Young said. | Terms of Use| Privacy Policy. ! If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. Michael Majchrowicz is a reporter covering crime and public safety. The dog escaped without serious injury. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. rdennis@postandcourier.com, Husband of woman killed in 2018 Hilton Head Island gator attack is suing resort community, SC officials still investigating whether man found dead in pond was killed by gator, Woman killed in apparent encounter with alligator on Kiawah Island, authorities say, Woman killed by gator on Kiawah Island was 'fascinated,' took pictures before attack, With a growing population, alligator-human encounters could become more common in SC, 911 calls reveal details of Tyler Doyle's boating accident, Man charged in crash that killed Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts owner, other, Aiken Brewing Company set to close for good later this month, Volkswagen subsidiary Scout building $2B plant near Columbia as SC's EV business grows, Charleston gives Dockside condos extension to address structural problems, Former North Charleston youth group leader charged after reports of inappropriately touching girls, For College of Charleston, 'deck is stacked' against at-large bid to March Madness, DAK Americas shutters Moncks Corner resin plant, laying off 125, Folly Beach allocated renourishment funds to supply 90,000 dump truck loads worth of sand, The Charleston Show reveals archaeological finds within layers of soil and history. Does Lake Moultrie alligators? Prone Outdoors tackles alligator hunting in the infested waters of Lake Moultrie in Cross, SC. Doctors said Hedden might have bled to death if not for the quick action of a group of nurses picnicking at Short Stay Naval Recreational Park as part of last years Bicol Association of Charlestons annual celebration. Five nurses were among those at the gathering and put ice on his wound and kept him awake until paramedics could arrive. If your child will play baseball or softball this spring, youll need to stock up on appropriate clothing and equipment. Brown Reservoir, the reservoirs own Loch Ness Monster.. A nearly eight-foot-long alligator attacked a woman who was walking her dog around a small lake in her neighborhood in Palm Harbor, Florida Tuesday, CBS Tampa . Young says his dad, Erwin, was the first person in the U.S. to grow tilapia commercially. Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. Cline was a New York kindergarten teacher who owned property at the resort. 12-foot gator bites off man's arm in Lake Moultrie; doctors try to reattach, The Berkeley Independent - Moncks Corner, SC, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison after conviction in double-murder trial, 911 calls reveal details of Tyler Doyle's boating accident, Man charged in crash that killed Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts owner, other, Aiken Brewing Company set to close for good later this month, Volkswagen subsidiary Scout building $2B plant near Columbia as SC's EV business grows, Charleston gives Dockside condos extension to address structural problems, Former North Charleston youth group leader charged after reports of inappropriately touching girls, For College of Charleston, 'deck is stacked' against at-large bid to March Madness, DAK Americas shutters Moncks Corner resin plant, laying off 125, Folly Beach allocated renourishment funds to supply 90,000 dump truck loads worth of sand, The Charleston Show reveals archaeological finds within layers of soil and history. Whoops! i swim and ski in the same waters as them and they dont really bother anybody. 'Horrific' attack . For the fourth time in the last three weeks, someone in the Tampa Bay region has been attacked by an alligator. Receive their stories each day by signing up for our free daily newsletter, which delivers the latest local news directly to your inbox every morning. Bill Hedden said God was looking over him on the day an alligator tore off his left arm as he swam in Lake Moultrie. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. | Terms of Use| Privacy Policy. The man was airlifted to MUSC while an ambulance transported the arm to the hospital. But it's not for decorating indoors. $4.6M in federal funds will help expand 3 parks along SC's Black River, Proposed SC bill spreads fear of being annexed in historic Black communities, The Berkeley Independent - Moncks Corner, SC, Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison after conviction in double-murder trial, By Rickey Ciapha Dennis Jr. . SCDNR says the man was swimming in the lake with his dog when the attack happened. Meanwhile, the dog survived the incident and is doing fine, according to SCDNR spokesman Stephen Fastenau. "This incident was very, very unique," he said. The man sustained non-life-threatening injuries while trying to help the dog. Scientists urge against removing Spanish moss from trees because of its importance to the ecosystem and the abundance of artificial alternatives available. Timothy Satterlee Sr., a man who survived the devastating wrath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, was attacked by an alligator in Ida floodwaters on Aug. 30. One was blamed for a car crash in May that killed a mother and her two children on a swampy stretch of Interstate 95 near Holly Hill. Breaking News Although they are generally found in freshwater, alligators sometimes venture into brackish salt water. A sign near a retention pond in the Indigo Island Reserve subdivision in Hanahan warns residents that alligators could be nearby. High 81F. ", Sheriff Randy Smith called the incident a "horrible tragedy.". By Julianne McShane. Contests & Promotions. Having been chased by an alligator on the Shadowmoss Plantation golf course when I was a teenager, I can appreciate what McConnell is trying to do. Technically it wasnt lost; I did send it with him to the hospital. Hedden's family has told the hospital not to release any information about his condition. Hedden was snorkeling in a Lake Moultrie recreation area when the gator attacked him about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph. Investigators said they would work with the St. Tammany Parish Coroner's Office to verify if the remains belonged to Satterlee. , Post and Courier, an Evening Post Publishing Newspaper Group. When you have a 330-acre lake with one alligator in it and you dont know where the gator is, that makes it a much tougher gator to find and catch it, said Jason Clark, a licensed alligator agent. They said the alligator clocked in at 758 lbs exactly, coming in at 13-feet, 9-inches long. Only one sighting has . I guess somebodys grandmother got really upset when Fifi bought the farm in her new retirement community with the nice walking trails and other back-to-nature amenities. The alligator has since been removed from the lake. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here. Coyote Cacher. This attack, along the shoreline of Lake Thon. After helping his dog, the man suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital, SCDNR says. An 85-year-old woman was killed in an alligator attack Monday as she was walking her dog in Florida, authorities said. Doctors at the Medical University are trying to reattach the man's arm. From 1915 to 2019, there had only been 23 reported attacks in the state, The Island Packet reported. January 1, 2023 September 17, 2022 by Brent Pollock So the federal license is turned in and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders the dams torn down and the lakes drained all to insure the survival of the Atlantic sturgeon, a mysterious, prehistoric fish few people have ever seen but that . It happened around 4:30 a.m. as he returned from work. "I know today's findings does not bring their loved one back, but hopefully this can bring them some sort of closure," he said in a statement. "They were two totally separate incidents, and I don't see anything in common with one another.". Are there alligators in Lake Moultrie? A Hoosier native, he graduated from Indiana University with a degree in journalism. Are alligators a problem in South Carolina? Five nurses were among those at the gathering and put ice on his wound and kept him awake until paramedics could arrive. Ron Russell, owner of Gator Getter Consultants in Berkeley County's Bonneau, has worked to manage the alligator population across the Palmetto State for about three decades and has served for 20 years as a gator control contractor for DNR. Low 54F. Believe it or not, there are reports of them being found right here in southern Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @mjmajchrowicz. The alligators were there first. The insight from officials comes on the heels of an incident Monday morning at a resort community on Hilton Head Island, where Cassandra Cline, 45, was killed after a gator dragged her into a lagoon and pulled her underwater around 9:30 a.m., authorities said. 4-Foot-Long Alligator Pulled From Prospect Park Lake in Brooklyn Rehabbed Manatees Released by Officials in Florida 60-Year-Old Woman Dies of Stroke After Knoxville Police Arrest Her for Trespassing Activities: 12 foot alligator caught at Lake Moultrie BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) A ginormous gator was caught by hunters near Lake Moultrie. 148 Williman Street Hedden stumbled into a party of picnickers with his arm missing and blood gushing from his wound. Clark estimates the alligator to be somewhere between 5-7 feet in length; he noted that it is unlikely the animal was a pet that had been released. About threehours southwest of Colorado Springs is the San Luis Valley, and just north of the town of Alamosa youll find about 300 cold-blooded alligators. The crash occurred near Fort Jackson in Columbia. In all, there have been 20 recorded alligator incidents in South Carolina since 1976, said Sam Chappelear, a regional assistant chief of wildlife at the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. I found it in the alligators mouth and pried it out.. Our local reporters are on the ground covering the news that matters most to Charleston and the area. City Paperhas been bringingthe best news, food, arts, music and event coverage to the Holy City since 1997. Rickey Dennis covers North Charleston and the religious community for The Post and Courier. Spanish moss is iconic and popular on Lowcountry trees. Exceptions to the 1964 ban on gator hunts were enacted in 1995 for large holdings property owners and again in 2005 for the aforementioned tract housing developments. On average, the state Department of Natural Resources or commercial varmint hunters dispose of roughly 300 nuisance alligators annually. The next thing we know people are dropping off their pet alligators.. Read more$4.6M in federal funds will help expand 3 parks along SC's Black River, Proposed legislation would let towns and cities annex properties without the consent of owners. Slidell fire spokesperson Jason Gaubert said the man had lost an arm. "When I came back, she was no longer visible and never did surface again until a bit later when the cops . Department of Natural Resource officers then shot the 600-pound gator and retrieved the Summerville. The animal lost. Bill Salisbury of the Berkeley County Rescue Squad says Hedden's arm was retrieved from the belly of the alligator after wildlife officers shot it and was on ice while doctors evaluated whether it could be reattached.