An alligator who became locally famous for popping up in Peachtree City was struck by a vehicle early Friday and euthanized because of its injuries, police said.
The big reptile, nicknamed “Flat Creek Floyd,” was hit at about 1:30 a.m. as he attempted to cross Ga. 74 near a Publix at Wilshire Pavilion, according to Peachtree City police. The site is not far from the creature’s namesake creek.
Police called a professional trapper and rehabilitator to the scene, and experts determined the gator could not recover from his injuries, spokesperson Lt. Chris Hyatt said in a phone interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The gator was euthanized and buried respectfully in an undisclosed location to avoid any poachers trying to dig him up, Hyatt said.
“This is a celebrity,” he said.
Hyatt, a self-described “huge animal lover,” has gotten to know the gator since folks started reporting sightings in 2016. That year, police told residents to resist the temptation to snap selfies with the animal and told people to not feed him.
Hyatt said he is confident the gator put down Friday is Flat Creek Floyd. The injured reptile had the same distinctive notch in the tail, likely caused by an earlier injury.
“As one of the original ones that found him almost 10 years ago, I am 100% certain that was old Floyd,” Hyatt said.
Hyatt was back alongside Floyd again Friday as responders worked to assess the animal’s condition. They had to use a backhoe to remove the heavy gator, who measured just shy of 12 feet.
Several years ago, the city tried to humanely trap and relocate the animal, but those efforts were unsuccessful, Hyatt said.
Hyatt added it had been a couple of years since he’d seen Floyd.
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