The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina said its Animal Control officer was dispatched to a home off Charlesfort Way in Moncks Corner on Wednesday after a resident found an alligator on their front porch.
The sheriff’s office posted on social media that the homeowner “discovered an unexpected guest posted up right at the front door… because apparently knocking is optional now.”
The post said the alligator “was significantly larger than what we are equipped to safely handle under our standard capture guidelines (and also clearly had no intention of following instructions of any kind).”
The officer called the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for assistance, and personnel soon arrived on the scene.
“Together, we were able to safely secure the alligator and relocate it back to a more appropriate setting,” officials wrote. “That setting was FAR away from front doors, welcome mats, and any future real estate ambitions.”
Alligator encounters near homes are not uncommon in South Carolina’s coastal Lowcountry. The state’s Department of Natural Resources advises residents to keep a safe distance from alligators, never feed them, and report nuisance animals to local authorities. The reptiles are protected in South Carolina, and it is illegal to harass, harm, or kill them without a permit.