The Great Smoky Mountain Journal
Source:
Tuesday, January 01, 2019 02:42 PM
Alligator Spotted Recently By Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency in West Tennessee
The whopping seven-foot alligator was captured on video by officers with TWRA Region 1 at the Wolf River WMA in Fayette County. Agents called it the latest of several confirmed alligator sightings in southwest Tennessee.
TWRA said the creatures are migrating into Tennessee from southern border states.
"Alligators migrating into Tennessee are just another species that we must learn to coexist with like many of the other southern states," a Facebook post by TWRA reads.
A West Tennessee TWRA official told Local 8 News they've seen gators in the area for at least 10 years that arrived in Tennessee from natural range expansion. Hunters in Mississippi have been hunting them since 2005, and they killed 791 last year. The official also said Mississippi has never had an attack or fatality involving alligators and humans.
According to wildlife officials, alligators can survive Tennessee winters by going into a hibernation-like dormancy called brumation. Alligators can survive periods of ice by sticking their snouts out of the water before it freezes.
"Alligators are opportunistic feeders that prey on fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, and waterfowl. Occasionally, they will feed on larger animals such as opossums, raccoons, and deer," TWRA explained.
TWRA asked to remind everyone that alligators are a protected species; therefore, catching or shooting one is a violation of the law. If you come across an alligator, TWRA advised leaving it alone.
