South Carolina Mother Hunts 12-Foot Alligator During Maternity Leave

A mother from South Carolina, who recently gave birth to her second child, made headlines after she hunted down a massive 12-foot alligator while on maternity leave. Brittany Livingston plans to transform the alligator’s carcass into a full-length rug.

Just five months postpartum, Brittany was playfully dubbed “Gator Girl” by someone she encountered during her adventure. A video showed her family cruising through a McDonald’s drive-thru with the enormous alligator in the back of their truck.

“We were definitely turning heads. People were waving, giving us thumbs up…even the employees at McDonald’s came outside to check it out,” she shared.

Brittany and her husband, Matt Livingston, had dreamed of going alligator hunting for about five years. In South Carolina, hunting tags for alligators are distributed via a seasonal lottery run by the Department of Natural Resources. Each year, there’s immense competition, with over 12,000 applicants vying for just 1,400 tags.

After facing numerous rejections, Brittany finally got her chance this year. “I mean, alligator hunting isn’t really a maternity leave activity for most people,” she remarked with a chuckle. However, she was eager to seize the opportunity.

The couple spent hours in the wetlands last September, successfully procuring the 597-pound alligator, which they affectionately named “Chomp Norris.”

They are committed to using every part of the alligator, hoping to teach their children about nature and respect for wildlife. Interestingly, their three-year-old son thought the alligator was a “dinosaur.”

Brittany and Matt emphasized their intention to make the most of the alligator, stating, “We wouldn’t hunt something if we weren’t going to eat it. We have a deep respect for wild animals, and it’s important they remain for future generations.”

They plan to create full-body rugs and produce alligator meat products like sausages and snack sticks. The alligator has already been sent to a family-run business known for processing wild animals, and it’s reported that they managed to produce over 100 pounds of meat products from it.

Alligator hunting season runs from September to October, and out of an estimated 100,000 alligators in South Carolina, only 438 were captured this season.