Gator Killed After Eating Husky, A newlywed couple’s beloved husky named Simba was snatched from the edge of a North Carolina creek and eaten whole by a twelve foot alligator Tuesday evening.
Devastated owners Drew Minx and Amy Matz had no idea that alligators lived in the area as they played fetch with the 80-pound dog and were dumbfounded when the beast attacked.
Devastated owners Drew Minx and Amy Matz had no idea that alligators lived in the area as they played fetch with the 80-pound dog and were dumbfounded when the beast attacked.
‘This behemoth of a gator just came out of nowhere, grabbed him, smashed him, took him under and disappeared,’ Minx said.
That was the last time Minx or his wife would see Simba.
According to WCTI, Minx and Matz frequently brought Simba to the area where the attack occurred, an area close to a park and a neighborhood dense with families with children.
‘We bring [our dog] down here every day for the past two months, and walk and play fetch with him,’ a tearful Matz told the area ABC affiliate. ‘When I got down here, there was absolutely nothing left of him at all.’
Matz was especially heartbroken and called Simba ‘my protector when my husband's gone in the field and deployed.’
Minx and Matz married last month. Minx is a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Though nearly eradicated in the state in the early 20th century, alligators have made an impressive comeback in western North Carolina and can be found in all coastal—and even some inland—counties.
And the dangerous creatures feed at dusk, as Simba and his owners learned the hard way.
‘This is my home,’ Minx said. ‘I assumed it would be safe. I sort of beat myself up—if I would have just taken the time to look this canal up alone and the lakes this ran into, maybe this would have never happened.’
After the attack was reported to local authorities, wildlife officials were able to locate the gator on Wednesday along with ‘animal parts.’
City officials told WCTI that the gator likely mistook the dog for a very large duck when it attacked, since ducks—which locals frequently feed—often attract the cold-blooded reptiles in the first place.
Minx and Matz said they would cremate Simba’s remains.
Public Safety spokeswoman Beth Purcell said officials discussed capturing and relocating the alligator, but decided that it displayed aggressive behavior and needed to be killed.
A police officer then shot the gator, which sank down and disappeared into the water.
The alligator’s body was later dragged from the creek and will be displayed at a local museum.
Meanwhile, Matz would prefer to remember Simba.
‘He has this crazy, annoying, cute howl,’ Matz told WCTI. ‘I'll miss that the most.’
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