A 13-foot alligator weighing at least 700 pounds was found in an irrigation ditch in Georgia, according to WALB. A farmer called officials after finding the alligator in Sumter County on Monday, according to Brent Howze, a wildlife biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. It took three people to remove.
“He was 13 feet, four inches long, 57 inches in circumference to the chest and we estimate his weight between 700 and 750 pounds,” said Howze.
Howze said the gator was found in poor condition and was believed to be dying, so he had to be euthanized. The gator had been in the ditch for about a week and had several injuries, including previous gunshot wounds, according to officials. Researchers are working to find the gator’s exact age, but the animal may have been 50 years old.