Soccer ball not the only ball SC gator had eaten

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — That alligator that was put down after it grabbed a soccer ball near some children playing on Hilton Head Island apparently had a hankering for athletic equipment.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports (http://bit.ly/MJxtJP) that an examination shows the 13-foot alligator had eaten two baseballs, a tennis ball, two other balls, as well as 53 fishing lures and a half pound of lead sinkers.

It also had eaten a 4-foot gator.

Mark Carinus with Critter Management also said the animal had eaten 48 rocks.

The alligator was captured several days after it had taken a soccer ball and then spit it back. The gator was too large to relocate under state law.

None of the children were injured.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com