7-foot alligator captured on South Carolina beach

A relaxing day at the beach in Pawleys Island, S.C., took a different turn when visitors noticed a 7-foot alligator had crept ashore.

The local police and animal control were called to corral the gator Sunday and an independent nuisance control contractor dealt with its relocation.

"There were multiple calls for an alligator in the surf," said Michael Fanning, Pawleys Island police chief. "My officers tried to follow it for a couple hours. The department of natural resources and the nuisance control contractors brought in a pig dog-pole noose and they were able to get the gator on shore and tie up its mouth."

Fanning added that this was not the first time an alligator has washed up on the shores of Pawleys Island. According to the police chief, the South Carolina town normally gets about two alligator visits each summer, usually due to juveniles caught in the current.

Though this has been a summer of frightening ocean encounters in the Carolinas, most of the beachgoers at the scene remained calm as the authorities removed the alligator, Fanning said.

After initial commotion, the gator-aid was well received.