Alligator kills dog at Nowell Creek Village complex

File photo

An alligator killed a dog on Friday, October 23, at a pond in the Nowell Creek Village property located off Daniel Island Drive. 

Steve Denker, marketing vice president for the Atlanta-based property owner, Holder Properties, said wildlife experts visited the site two days after the incident and determined that the alligator was not a threat. 

The reptile, estimated to be about 10-feet long, was not euthanized. 

The dog was attacked when it entered the water, according to Sarah Weston, who provides public relations for Holder Properties. She said the pond where the incident took place is under half an acre. 

“The alligator did not leave the pond,” Weston said in an email November 3. 

She added that the company worked with Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association and Gator Getter Consultants, a wildlife management firm that visited the site to assess the alligator. The ponds and common areas at the complex are maintained by the Nowell Creek Village Property Owners’ Association. 

Weston said the incident occurred in the evening and added that Holder Properties isn't aware of any similar incidents in the past. 

The development company also released a statement to complex residents. 

“We are deeply saddened that a resident’s dog was killed by an alligator in a pond in Nowell Creek Village on October 23, and our thoughts are with the owner and his family," the statement read.  

“Alligators are a natural part of the Lowcountry, and we continue to remind residents to keep pets leashed and well away from the water’s edge, maintain a safe distance from alligators, and never feed or approach them.” 

For alligator sightings in areas managed specifically by the Daniel Island POA, the organization, in a press release last May, said its protocol is to contact an alligator specialist who will "go through a series of tests to see if the alligator is threatening/aggressive. If the specialist deems the alligator non-threatening, the alligator is left alone."  

If the consultant deems the alligator threatening, it will be removed according to South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources rules and regulations.