'Gatorman' called for back-up
by MCL staff writer

One mad gator was trying to get to the creek. Bennie West was ready to move quickly if necessary.

Working the switchboard at 911, you never know what to expect. All kinds of calls come in to the dispatcher with anything from belly aches, goats in the road to dogs fighting.

This was no exception on Friday evening, December 28. A motorist was heading into town on Highway 45 South just before reaching the intersection of Hwy. 91 South. As he was traveling down the road, he noticed something big lying in the middle of the highway. The closer he got to the "something," he discovered it was a 6'2" alligator.

The Colquitt Police Department was called to the scene with Miller County Sheriff's deputies coming in to help. When Capt. Dan Stone arrived, he stated that the alligator was tangled in the fence and was one mad animal.

"I figured the best thing I could do was stay in my truck and call for back-up from the experts," Stone stated.

The expert in this situation is "Gatorman," Bennie West. He is licensed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to catch and remove nuisance gators when called. The local law enforcement officersare always happy to turn the catching of the reptiles over to "Gatorman."

Bennie West made quick time of the six foot plus alligator. He had the mad gator taped, tied and in the back of his truck in short order.

"The young gator was mad. He seemed to be leaving a pond on one side of the highway and heading across a pea- nut field toward Spring Creek. The gator just couldn't make it over the fence. The reptile, capable of running 20 mph for short distances, was mad and dangerous," West stated.

Alligators six foot or over are considered breeding age. They are not afraid of any- thing, other than humans, and have been known to attack and kill humans. A grown alligator's bite has been rated at 3000 psi. An adult gator will eat deer, hogs, cattle and almost anything that moves. They are predators at the top of the food chain. They eat mostly at night and swallow their food whole.

The American alligator has a range from southeast Texas all the way over to southeast North Carolina. There are numerous alligators in Southwest Georgia, and a number of 10 to 12 foot gators have been removed because they have gotten to be nuisance reptiles. The drought has made them move.