Alligator with ball stuck in mouth spotted on NC golf course

SUNSET BEACH, N.C. - An alligator showed up to tee time at a golf course in North Carolina with a soccer ball stuck in its mouth. 

The incident happened on Sunday in Sunset Beach.

Photos from the Sunset Beach Police Department showed the alligator in a pond at Sea Trails Golf Resort. 

The reptile was in a tricky situation as a soccer ball kept its mouth from closing.  

Local animal control and police officers arrived at the golf course, ready to remove the ball from the gator's mouth safely. 

Officers stand ready to help an alligator get a soccer ball out of its mouth in North Carolina.(Sunset Beach Police Department/Facebook / FOX Weather)

The police department said that before any intervention happened, the alligator rolled around in the water, releasing the ball. 

Police said the alligator swam away unharmed. "We can’t say the same for the soccer ball, which sustained fatal injuries," the department said. 

Alligators are native to North Carolina. They can be found all along the coast. 

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reminds people to be "alligator aware" at all times. 

Find out how to be alligator aware by visiting their website. 

Read more of this story from FOX Weather.