What’s that in the backyard? Is that an alligator?

People weren’t the only ones displaced by Hurricane Matthew when the storm blew across the Grand Strand last week.

Area wildlife, such as alligators, snakes, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and more have been scattered by the storm and have become wayward as they either settle into new homes or search for their old ones.

Now, they’re likely to end up closer to people’s backyards and businesses.

Russell Cavender, an area nuisance and wildlife removal professional known as “The Snake Chaser,” received two separate calls about different displaced alligators Wednesday, both in the North Myrtle Beach area, he said.

A 6- to 7-foot gator took a swim in the ocean about 2 p.m. Wednesday between Lands End Boulevard and Briarcliffe Acres. Shortly thereafter, a 5-foot wayward gator was roaming the streets in the Windy Hill area.

Cavender quickly wrangled both and safely relocated them.

He said these calls were likely just the beginning of a busy season in capturing wildlife displaced by the storm.

“Once the water recedes, … I think it’s going to be worse than it was last year to be honest with you, because everything was already displaced from last year’s storm, and now you displace them again,” he said, adding that the water this year is also higher than last year in some places.

These storms have simply happened at the wrong times of the year, Cavender said. Some animals, such as most venomous snakes and alligators, are getting ready to hibernate soon.

They’ll likely hunker down in whatever temporary homes they’ve found and re-emerge in the spring before trying to make their way back to their rightful places, if then, Cavender said.

“When a hurricane comes, it does something to animals. They have a unique instinct,” he said.

Snakes especially respond to a shift in pressure when a storm rolls in because this signals a feast is about to begin. Knowing they need to gorge themselves for hibernation, snakes will rush out, seeking to devour critters knocked from trees and blown out during the storm, Cavender said.

“These snakes are going to take advantage of that. They’re going to know especially this time of year, they need to preserve as much fat as they can for the winter,” he said.

Other woodland creatures will be out as well, trying to get their share of the bounty of fallen acorns, pecans, and insects and also because they’ve been knocked from homes in trees too.

Since last year’s flood, Cavender has had double the amount of calls for displaced wildlife, and said he’s gotten calls for larger gators recently than he’s seen for several years in a row.

As power is coming back on and people begin clean up, they may also find themselves the owners of unwanted wildlife guests, Cavender said.

“If you own a property and you have a wild animal on your property, and you don’t want it there, … that animal is yours, meaning that you own that property, you own that wild animal,” he said.

With the exception of bear, it’s up to the property owner to call someone like Cavender to remove the animal, and permits from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources must be obtained for the removal of alligators, he said.

Ignoring a rogue animal in your home is not something you want to do, Cavender said because creatures, such as squirrels can nimble through wiring, potentially causing your home to catch fire, or a raccoon could chew a large hole in your roof.

Also, raccoon waste can be very toxic and potentially deadly for humans, Cavender said, who added waste removal is a big part of what he does.

As people are adjusting to life post storm, Cavender stressed caution when doing clean up.

“Be aware of your surroundings and realize that there is going to be the possibility that you are going to encounter a snake,” he said.

Never stomp at or near a snake as it will draw them or make them feel threatened. When snakes do bite people, it’s never the snake’s fault, but simply something their wired to do in defense, Cavender said.

Being on the lookout and wearing gloves and shoes while doing yard clean up are safety tips Cavender recommended and said if you’re bit by a snake, don’t try to treat the bite yourself if you don’t have a snake bite kit, but instead go to the doctor.

Dr. Dennis Rhoades, regional medical director of all Grand Strand Doctors Care locations, said so far facilities haven’t seen an uptick in snake bites, but they have seen more insect bite issues as more people have been outside doing clean up.

S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control has been warning the public about the dangers displaced animals can pose, especially the potential for contracting rabies, according to Robert Yanity, S.C. DHEC spokesman.

“You should always stay weary of wild animals, and you should never assume that they’re friendly,” said Yanity.

He warned animals may also be jittery or unstable after having gone through the stress of the displacement.

Robert McCullough, spokesman with S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said they haven’t seen too many calls from people suffering wildlife issues, but says they likely will once the rivers are done rising.

Some animals don’t have the speed or mobility to escape during a storm, but fish and other wildlife are generally resilient and while there may be some negative impacts to the population, they will rebound to normal levels with proper habitat management, according to S.C. DNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Deputy Director Emily Cope.

“While SCDNR understands and appreciates public concern, we want to assure everyone that the overall fish and wildlife populations are stable and should not experience any long-term negative impacts from this natural disaster,” she stated in a news release.

This story was originally published October 14, 2016 at 12:19 PM with the headline "What’s that in the backyard? Is that an alligator?."