Curiosity
Gator killed After Eating Husky In North Carolina
Simba was attacked by the alligator on July 23. Courtesy: Drew Minx and Amy Matz
A sunset walk for a woman and her 80-pound husky dog in Jacksonville, NC proved fatal to both the dog and a nearby alligator. The pet dog was snatched by the gator after the Husky ran ahead of his owner and ventured near the edge of a body of water adjacent to a shopping center, reports FOX News.
Drew Minx and Amy Matz said they were walking and playing fetch with their 80-pound husky, Simba, along River Street during dusk Tuesday.
The woman was either not aware of or chose to disregard warnings to avoid shorelines around sunset when alligators are often on the prowl for their supper meal.
“This behemoth of a gator just came out of nowhere- grabbed him, smashed him, took him under and disappeared,” Minx recalled.
“We bring [our dog] down here every day for the past two months, and walk and play fetch with him down here. When I got down here, there was absolutely nothing left of him at all,” Matz said.
Officers from the Jacksonville department of public safety along with state wildlife commission officers searched the area throughout the next morning for signs of the killer gator. Although officials discussed the possibility that the alligator could be caught and relocated further into the wilderness, it was determined that the gator should not be taken alive. When a public safety officer spotted the creature, he killed it with his gun and the gator’s body sank back down into the water.
Officials were successful in their efforts to retrieve the alligator’s body from the water and properly dispose of it.
Minx and Matz said crews were able to recover the body of their beloved dog, which has since been cremated. Matz said she will miss her husky’s unique personality.
“He has this crazy, annoying, cute howl,” Matz told NewsChannel 12. “I’ll miss that the most, and he’s my protector when my husband’s gone in the field and deployed.”
The couple, originally from Florida, said they didn’t know alligators even lived in the Jacksonville area.
“This is my home. I assumed it would be safe,” Minx said. “If I would have – I sort of beat myself up- if I would have just taken the time to look this canal up alone and the lakes this ran into, maybe this would have never happened.”
Gator killed After Eating Husky In North Carolina
On The Web:
North Carolina police shoot, kill gator after it eats Husky
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/07/25/north-carolina-police-shoot-kill-gator-after-it-eats-husky/
North Carolina Police Shoot, Kill Alligator That Ate 80-Pound Husky
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/police-kill-alligator-that-ate-husky-_n_3651492.html?ir=Weird+News
Later, gator: Authorities shoot dead 12-foot, husky-eating reptile
http://now.msn.com/alligator-that-ate-pet-husky-killed-by-authorities
Officials post warning signs after alligator ate 80-pound husky
