Officials Wrestle Gator Away From McDonald’s, And it Didn’t Happen in Florida

After a two-day takeover of a McDonald’s parking lot, an alligator has been relocated to a safer and less populated area.

Fast food lovers in Mason, Georgia, first noticed a 12-foot alligator lurking near a McDonald’s drive-thru on Sept. 26, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office told 13WMAZ.

Two days later, the alligator remained close to the fast food restaurant, attracting the attention of some passersby who decided to try to wrangle the reptile, according to the outlet.

The untrained alligator wrestlers attempted to duct tape the alligator’s mouth shut. The public’s interference with the wild animal prompted law enforcement, including the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, to respond to the scene and move the gator.

Video footage shared by CBS affiliate 13WMAZ shows the alligator rolling over multiple times on the asphalt. Officials then wrangle the animal and tie its jaws shut with cloth and ropes.

One of the employees at the McDonald’s, Mandy Jackson, told the outlet that the gator had been lurking around the restaurant for two days.

“It’s not going to be the first alligator, and it’s not going to be the last,” she said. “But I think the alligator is hungry!”

According to 13WMAZ, no onlookers, emergency personnel, or animals were injured during the alligator ordeal. Authorities are relocating the wild animal to a private pond in Laurens County, per KHOU 11.

Captain Linda Howard from the sheriff’s office said it’s definitely compelling and a bit alarming that so many people came out to witness the gator and that some even tried to capture it.

“I have not seen a reaction like this where people are so curious they try to capture a gator themselves and put themselves in harm’s way,” Howard said, per 13WMAZ. “They decide they’re going to tape the gator’s mouth and take selfies — that’s very dangerous.”

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The Georgia Department of Natural Resources states humans should never feed or approach alligators. In fact, “feeding, harassing, injuring, or removing wildlife, including alligators, is against the law,” per the Georgia state site.