ATLANTA - Authorities say an alligator has moved into a pond in a metro Atlanta neighborhood, far north of the reptiles' typical range in south Georgia.

Pat Dennis said he spotted the gator swimming around lunchtime while pulling out of his driveway in Fayette County. He estimates that it's 6 to 7 feet long.

Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials say their hope is to catch the alligator alive, and then relocate it or move it a facility that keeps the animals.

Dennis said it's rare to see an alligator so far north in Georgia. DNR spokeswoman Robin Hill says there have been reports of alligators in metro Atlanta in the past, including on the Chattahoochee River outside the city.

The pond is about 30 miles south of downtown Atlanta.