CONCORD, N.C. — A Concord daycare worker got the shock of a lifetime while going to the church mailbox. In a ditch along Odell School Road, a four-foot alligator was resting in the water.
The worker told WCNC she called 911 to report the reptile. Cabarrus County Deputies along with North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission agents responded to the area.
The NC Wildlife deputies used a dog collar and duct tape to safely remove the gator from the church property.
The daycare says the gator will be released into a more hospitable habitat -- likely near the coast of North Carolina.
The daycare worker told WCNC that NC Wildlife suspects the animal was a onetime pet who may have gotten to big for the owner.
Neighbors had plenty to say about the encounter.
"Could be a dangerous situation," Mike Oregano said. "I didn't know there were alligators that big in this area, but I guess somebody better keep an eye out for them."
Wildlife experts say gator encounters are extremely rare in this part of North Carolina. They urge anyone who finds an alligator to call the authorities.
"I've never seen an alligator in North Carolina," Akeem Brown said. "That's unreal."
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