MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Milly the Gator has made her way to different waters.

After weeks of attempts at trying to nab an alligator sighted out at Lake Sinclair, Tuesday morning saw mission accomplished.

“Milly” as she has been named, was spotted at the lake about a month ago and captured near Admiralty Way in Baldwin County.

The 36-inch female gator was caught in a trap set by Bug House Pest Control employee Ed Kirkpatrick, the company’s wildlife expert.

“Once I located the gator it was just a matter of studying its habits such as where it liked to rest, where it liked to sun, and where it liked to feed,” said Kirkpatrick. “Once I got it to start taking the feed, then it was just a matter of getting the cage in the right place.

Kirkpatrick figures the gator to be around 3 years old.

After figuring out the gator’s location, Kirkpatrick tried luring it with chicken to a specific area where he eventually set a trap.

Milly was not a fan of the chicken, so Kirkpatrick moved on to chunks of catfish, which she seemed to enjoy more.

The Bug House employee of 13 years set the trap in 6 inches of water in the alligator’s regular feeding area and discovered her in the trap Tuesday morning.

Kirkpatrick said how the alligator got so far north into the lake is a “mystery” and that its natural habitat is below the fall line along the Oconee River.

According to the Georgia DNR, there are approximately 200,000 alligators in Georgia, typically found south of the fall line (which roughly connects the cities of Columbus, Macon and Augusta). Alligators usually remain in the area where they were born for two to three years and then begin looking for their own range, according to the Georgia DNR website. 

Kirkpatrick has been licensed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as a nuisance wildlife officer for about seven years.

Milly had water poured over her every few minutes to keep her skin from drying out while handlers waited to release her into the river. She was released by Kirkpatrick miles further south in the Oconee River in her natural habitat.