HT: C.W. Swanson.
Wrestling an Alligator
Alligator, The Right Stuff
A guest at a Utah reptile center jumped into a large alligator enclosure to rescue a female handler.
Unknown Alligator ? — 2021
Alligator, Mysteries, New Orleans, Obituaries
WGNO:
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— Earlier this week the “dumpster gator” became a sensation in Uptown New Orleans on Perrier Street and Upperline Street.
The “dumpster gator” shocked neighbors who wondered how the dead alligator ended up in a Demo Diva dumpster.
As to how the alligator ended up in the dumpster is still a mystery?
Large dead alligator discovered in New Orleans DumpsterWGNO’s Kenny Lopez contacted Demo Diva and the owner Simone Bruni went by to check out the “dumpster gator.”
Bruni told Lopez that the alligator would be going to the landfill along with the other debris and trash in the dumpster.
But before doing so, she put a flower on the gator’s body as a sign of respect for the animal.
Okefenokee Joe ?-2021
Alligator, Obituaries, Okefenokee Joe
MSN:
Okefenokee Joe, an 11-and-a-half-foot alligator who is believed to have lived in a Georgia swamp since World War II, has died, officials said.
The alligator passed away from old age, the Georgia’s Coastal Ecology Lab said, and had been part of a satellite tag program. The lab had been observing his movements in the Okefenokee Swamp since June 2020, according to a statement on Facebook.
The celebrated alligator’s exact age was unknown, but he “was a very old alligator as he had scar tissue over both eyes and his scutes were worn almost smooth,” the lab said. “Alligators can live to be approximately 80 years old though so it is possible he was close to that!”
Joe was last tracked via GPS on July 20, and the lab said, “We first thought the tag had simply fallen off as it had been several weeks since we had received any GPS points from him.”
But after several weeks, the satellite tag was found and the lab confirmed his death.
“We are so grateful to have known him, for his contribution to science and the further understanding and preservation of his species,” they said.
Joe weighed in at more than 400 pounds and would have been considered a “dominant male in his day,” the lab shared in a Facebook post last year.
“I Won’t Do This Again!”
Alligator, Human Predation, South Carolina
The Independent has new details on the recent South Carolina alligator victim’s final moments.
A woman was killed by an alligator as she attempted to touch the animal after spotting it in a nearby pond, authorities said.
Cynthia Covert, 58, was at her friend’s home on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, painting her nails. According to the police report, the friend said Ms Covert was “very talkative and strangeâ€.
“At the salon Covert acts very professional but today she was very relaxed and excited that her boyfriend was coming from Tennessee to visit,†the friend added, The Post and Courier reported. Ms Covert had one glass of wine during the interaction but the friend did not know if she was on other substances.
After doing the woman’s nails, Ms Covert reportedly spotted the alligator in the pond and was “fascinated†by the animal.
Ms Covert walked over to the pond and started taking pictures of the animal, at which point the friend warned about how she saw a deer getting attacked by the alligator at that same location, deputies said.
“I don’t look like a deer.†Ms Covert responded before she reportedly reached out to touch the animal.
It then attacked and grabbed the woman’s leg, pulling her into the water.
“I guess I won’t do this again,†Ms Covert was heard saying after the alligator grabbed her, according to the police report.
Alligator Killed SC Woman
Alligator, Human Predation, South Carolina
CBS News also has a video, explaining that the woman tried to stop the alligator from taking her dog. It attacked her instead.
Deputies in South Carolina shot and killed an alligator that fatally attacked a woman on Friday, authorities said. CBS affiliate WCSC-TV reports that the coroner identified the victim as Cynthia Covert, 58, of Johns Island.
The officers were called to a pond on Kiawah Island around 5 p.m. and saw the animal attack, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said. Covert was found dead and deputies retrieved the alligator’s carcass to help with the investigation.
And This Used to Be a Free Country!
Alligator, Americana, Florida, Free Expression
The NY Post reports that, these days, you can’t even try to get an alligator drunk without getting arrested and fined.
A Florida man was reportedly arrested for trying to get an alligator drunk after his pal captured the reptile.
Timothy Kepke, 27, of Hobe Sound allegedly fed some beer to the animal, which also bit him, on Aug. 26 in Palm City, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission report obtained by TC Palm.
Moments earlier, Kepke told police, Noah Osborne, 22, caught the gator with his bare hands, the report said.
Kepke told authorities he had consumed a few beers that day, but claimed he wasn’t intoxicated during the incident.
After the beer feeding, which was recorded, the duo released the animal back into the wild, Kepke told officers.
Authorities obtained the video, though it’s unclear how, and on Sept. 17 confronted Kepke at his home, where he copped to the crime.
Baby Alligator Found in Little Juniata at Tipton, Blair County, Pennsylvania Last Monday
Alligator, Blair County, Little Juniata Creek, Pennsylvania
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A possible alligator is captured near Altoona.
Blair County crews were busy trying to capture the elusive reptile. Crews tried to snag the scaly creature for about an hour before finally wrangling it.
They’re not sure yet if the three-foot reptile is an alligator or caiman. It was taken to a Wildlife Care Facility while they work to determine who let it go in the wild.
Officials suspect the animal was dropped near the river by an owner.
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Adding to the recent string of alligator sightings throughout Pennsylvania, Blair County law enforcement captured a 3-foot-long baby alligator in a creek near Tipton Township Monday night. The reptile was transported to Centre Wildlife Care in Port Matilda, where it will stay until it can be transferred elsewhere.
Centre Wildlife founder and Executive Director Robyn Graboski said law enforcement called late Monday night and asked if they could bring the gator to the wildlife rehab center.
“We will work with law enforcement to find an appropriate placement for it,†Graboski said. “We don’t know yet whether or not there will be charges filed.†…
Graboski said the alligator cannot remain at Centre Wildlife because its facility is not equipped with the housing needed in order to sustain a proper habitat during the winter. She added that just because it is legal to keep an alligator as a pet in Pennsylvania does not mean everyone should.
Reflecting on the series of sightings — including three in the Pittsburgh area in a month — Graboski said alligators are not just showing up on their own.
“They’d never survive our winters,†she said.
Instead, people are buying them as pets and releasing them when they become too big to care for.