Nearly 8-foot gator subjected to selfies, poking as it crosses road, TN officials say
Onlookers harassed a nearly 8-foot gator that was spotted crossing a road in Tennessee, where gators are uncommon but have been reported in recent years, wildlife officials said.
The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office first reported the gator May 6, according to Amy Spencer with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. A deputy snapped a photo of the reptile sticking out into the road of a wetland area and sent it to wildlife officials.
“It’s like something you would see in Florida,” Spencer told McClatchy News over the phone.
But the gator had attracted some unwanted attention. Spencer described the scene as a “total lack of respect for wildlife.”
Videos shared on social media show a man poking the gator with a long stick and others laughing off-camera as the gator snaps at him. Spencer said people were taking photos with the gator as well, and wildlife officials had to tell them to leave the animal alone.
Residents of Fayette County, and Tennessee as a whole, might be unaccustomed to seeing gators, but the reptiles have been reported multiple times in the state since 2018, according to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
The sighting closely follows another encounter in March in eastern Tennessee, when an angler caught a small gator while fishing, McClatchy News previously reported.
That gator was likely a pet that was released into the wild, officials said.
Other than that sighting, the reports have originated in three southwest counties, including the Memphis area, the wildlife agency said.
The American alligators’ range used to be much wider, but today the creatures live about as far north as Arkansas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
Southwest Tennessee lies along the border of Arkansas and the Mississippi River, so some gators may be trickling into the area, wildlife officials advise.
“They’re moving back into their original home range from the south and west,” Spencer said.
Although gators have been popping up in the state, Tennesseans likely don’t have to worry too much.
“Alligators are just another species we must learn to coexist with, like many other southern states,” Spencer told McClatchy News.
Wildlife officials advise people to never feed gators, swim in designated areas during daytime hours, and keep pets on leashes.
“If you encounter an alligator while enjoying the outdoors in West (Tennessee), it’s best to leave it be and take a moment to appreciate the unique biodiversity of Tennessee, a testament to the richness and diversity of our environment,” Spencer said.
Fayette County borders Mississippi and is about a 45-mile drive east from Memphis.
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