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A brief history of wildlife roaming Atlanta

Look out for bears.
Look out for bears.
By AJC
May 13, 2015

The metro Atlanta area is no stranger to wildlife, strange as that may sometimes seem from the window of a Buckhead highway or in the middle of a dozen lanes of traffic on the Connector.

Indeed, a bear has been spotted in Dunwoody several times this month, including May 8. Police said to leave it alone to continue its "tour."

Here's a partial timeline of wildlife sightings around Atlanta over the last few years.

Sept. 26, 2013: Animal control officials worked to trap a pack of four wild pigs that were scaring residents in Lithonia.

Sept. 19, 2013: Not one or two, but three black bears were spotted taking a leisurely walk through a Cumming neighborhood. Resident Jeff Adler snapped some pictures, but stayed in his car.

Sept. 16, 2013: For months, drivers traveling near the intersection of I-75 and I-675, near the Henry-Clayton county line, spotted what they believed was a bull. Nope, not a bull. Kevin the Cow was corralled and tranquilized before being moved to safer pastures.

May 2013: A 3-foot alligator clamped down on the arm of a trapper as it was captured in Gwinnett County. "There's a gator bite for you," trapper Jason Clark said.

February 2011: Police officers and animal control officials searched several days for a former pet pig spotted along I-75 in Cobb County. Days after this little piggy was captured, it was adopted by a new family.

October 2010: A deer was rescued from a Cherokee County swimming pool just days after a buffalo was removed from a pool in White County.

August 2010: A venomous rattlesnake was missing for two days from Zoo Atlanta before being found dead about 100 yards away on a front porch. Turns out, a resident in the area had no idea where the snake belonged and beat it to death.