Gator makes for ‘perfect day at beach'

SEACREST BEACH - A handful of tourists got some unexpected entertainment this week when a small, injured alligator was found on the beach in South Walton County.
   
"I saw him at the edge of the beach," said Brooke Regnier of Indiana. "At first, I thought it was just a piece of driftwood."
   
On closer inspection, Regnier discovered it was an alligator and called the Walton County Sheriff 's Office at 9:30 a.m.
   
Beach patrol deputies Jason Day and Bobby Hoke arrived to find a one-eyed, three-legged alligator less than 5 feet long.
   
There were few onlookers. However, a family visiting from Chicago got out of the surf to take a closer look after the gator was bound and loaded into a beach patrol vehicle.
   
"This will probably be the highlight of our trip," Janet White said. "It sure beats the lake. We've never seen anything like this."
   
As her five children and husband, Kevin, stood at the back of the truck, the kids talked to deputies about the difference between alligators and crocodiles.
   
"Our grandmother lives close to the (Brookfield) Zoo and we know how to tell them apart," said 9-year-old Corrine. "The alligator's mouth is rounded and a crocodile's is pointed."
   
As deputies drove away with the alligator to release it elsewhere, the children laughed and giggled.
   
"It's the perfect day at the beach," Corrine said.