Alligator forces closure of popular trail
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A large alligator has, once again, been spotted in metro Atlanta.
FOX 5 viewer Joseph Magnus shared pictures of a gator near his townhome located across from the popular restaurant Ray’s on the River in Sandy Springs. Magnus lives along the Cochran Shoals Trail by the Chattahoochee River. He snapped the photos around 10 a.m. Tuesday.
"We've always heard the myth, and I don't know if we ever believed it. Now, I have proof. Yeah, I've seen it. It looks pretty well fed, might be the only one out here, so that would explain that, maybe nine to ten feet long," said Magnus.
Over the last few days, several of Magnus’ neighbors have also reported seeing the gator in the area. According to Magnus, it hasn’t moved far from its current position.
Cochran Shoals is located just north of Interstate 285 in Atlanta and can be accessed in several spots, including off Columns Drive in Marietta. Magnus said the gator was spotted closer to the I-285 end of the park in Sandy Springs.
Tuesday afternoon in a news release, the Chattahoochee River National Recreational Area announced a short section of the Cochran Shoal Fitness Loop will be closed until further notice.
"In order to minimize disturbance of an adult alligator frequenting the wetland abutting the trail, a closure is needed," the news release said. "This temporary closure will provide added protection for the alligator and the visiting public while the National Park Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources develop a range of next steps to ensure the long-term protection of the alligator and promote visitor safety."
Magnus and his wife have a baby at home, but he said he’s not too worried. His wife, however, is a different story.
“My wife doesn’t want to walk on that part of the trail anymore,” Magnus said. “The water is just a couple inches away from your feet."
This isn't the first time a gator, or "the gator," has been reported in the area. Over the last few years, a number of FOX 5 viewers have shared similar stories.
According to the National Park Service, the gator was likely someone's pet that was dumped into a 90 acre swamp, perhaps as long as a decade ago. The mystery gator has been in the news before, but this is the first time it's made a public impact.
Jerry Hightower is with the National Park Service, and they operate the trail. He said people really need to make sure their dogs are on a leash in that area.
"Everybody is supposed to have their dogs on leash and the dog would really have to go up to the alligator." said Hightower.
He said the carnivore eats local wildlife, like squirrels, beavers and snakes. The outer loop was closed officials said because of dangers from a few in the public.
"It's not the alligator itself, it's the fact that people have been misbehaving. Actually we've had some young people throwing rocks," said Hightower.
The future of the gator is now in the hands of wildlife biologists from Georgia's Department of Natural Resources and the National Park Service, who are working together to determine their next move.