VIDEO: Large rattlesnake in the dunes on Tybee Island

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - A large rattlesnake surprised a couple staying on Tybee Island.

Julie Trussell and her boyfriend Dave Grovenstein were staying at the RV Campground on North Tybee. While riding their bicycles Sunday on the path by the campground, a large rattlesnake was stretched across the path.

Grovenstein captured the animal on video retreating into the grass on the dunes.

According to Tressell, the Tybee Island Police Department was called and the animal was killed.

The Tybee Island Police Department posted to social media on Thursday to discuss more about why the animal was killed.

According to the police department, the officer and bystander tried to get the animal to leave the area on its own accord but it kept coming back. The officer than attempted to relocate the animal, but the decision to kill the animal was made when the officer decided he could not do that safely with the equipment he had available.

The police department stated it has reached out to individuals and organizations that may offer assistance to the department in situations involving dangerous animals in the future.

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