Huntsville city officials said in a statement Wednesday that people need to be aware of the presence of alligators and other wildlife in the south part of the city where sightings have been frequent.

And to help with that awareness, the city said it will be installing additional signs cautioning people of the possible presence of alligators.

Those new warning signs come after a Huntsville man said a 15-foot alligator ate the family’s golden retriever in May. The man, who made his claims last week to WAFF-Channel 48, declined to be identified by the television station.

It’s the first alleged attack by an alligator in Huntsville. The man said it occurred in the Hays Farm area in south Huntsville. Hays Farm is an under-development project with hundreds of new homes and apartment units as well as retail offerings. The city is building a nine-acre park as part of the development.

The development also has a greenway that seeks to preserve the undeveloped land, which includes wetlands and ponds. There is a walking trail through the greenway that extends along Haysland Road. There have been alligator sightings in the greenway in the past.

“It increases the awareness of people who live in that area that there are alligators present,” said Councilwoman Jennie Robinson, whose district includes the Hays Farm development. “And they will be more watchful. They will make sure that when they have a dog out that the dog is on a leash, that the dog has tags. They’ll just be more vigilant. And in addition to that, the city is going to make sure and put more signs up. We already have signs up. We put that up when the very first alligator was sighted. But we need more signs.

“And then we also need to educate the public. I think a lot of people who live here in the south recognize that if you have a pool of water, there’s probably an alligator present. And so we’ll be really careful about letting animals go into water where you don’t know what’s in there. And if alligators are likely to be in there, you don’t want let that your pets go into them. So it’s a it’s a great warning for other people.”

The city’s full statement:

“Wildlife coexists with us throughout the city and surrounding areas. It’s important for citizens and homeowners to be aware of the types of wildlife in their particular area and notify us when they have concerns about hazards related to such animals. In this case, the citizen (who said his dog was eaten by an alligator) did notify us and we have been working with Alabama (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), which has jurisdiction over this type of animal. We have placed signs along the greenway in that area reminding people of the potential presence of alligators and are in the process of adding more signs around the swamp and pond areas where people might venture off the greenway. It’s important for people to remain aware of their surroundings when in areas adjacent to these natural, undeveloped lands, keep pets on a leash or in a fenced area, and avoid contact with wildlife.”

The greenway is on the east side of largely undisturbed land at Redstone Arsenal. Alligators have also been seen on the west side of the arsenal in Madison.

Last year, Dr. Karen Sheppard, the city’s animal services director, told AL.com that alligators are believed to have been in Huntsville for almost 100 years. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources last year confirmed that alligators have been in the area “for decades.”