'It's a juvenile': Georgia DNR speaks out on alligator school system identified as threat

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources has released more information about a Columbia County alligator spotted near multiple schools.

The Columbia County School District alerted parents on Aug. 17 that an alligator was reported near Blue Ridge Elementary, Lakeside Middle School and Lakeside High School, according to previous reporting.

The district said the gator may impact students who walk to and from school. However, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said it not a threat.

"We were sent pictures and video and it's a 3-foot alligator," said Lee Taylor, game management regional supervisor. "It's not a public safety issue at all, not even for very small pets. I don't foresee any issues with that little alligator."

Taylor said the department is planning on leaving the 3-year-old gator alone for now.

"It's a juvenile and it will get bigger, but it will take several years for it to get to be 6 feet," he said. "He is probably feeding on little frogs and lizards right now, but once he runs out of food, he will probably move on [from the pond]."

Since alligators typically only stay with their mothers for the first six months of life, Taylor said the mother no longer poses a threat.

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He added alligators are naturally occurring in the Augusta area and rarely attack humans.

"Most of the time, even if you see an alligator on land, it's not going to try to attack you," Taylor said. "If you just leave it alone, it'll be fine."

Georgia DNR cautions locals to avoid feeding alligators, directly or indirectly.

"Sometimes when people finish cleaning fish, they'll throw the waste in the water and we don't encourage that," Taylor said. "As long as alligators don't associate people with food, there's usually no negative interactions between us and alligators."

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Georgia DNR speaks on Columbia County gator threat