7-foot gator spotted in West Tennessee

FAYETTE COUNTY, Tenn. — An employee with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency shot video of a seven-foot alligator spotted within the past month at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area in Fayette County.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency posted the video Tuesday morning.

“You are more likely to die from a bee sting than you are from an alligator attack,” said Amy Snider, TWRA information education coordinator for West Tennessee.

Snider says this sighting is not uncommon, but having actual footage of the alligator is what is making this scare more real.

“We have been getting reports of alligators for a year,” Snider said. “People sent us pictures last summer in Hardin County. People were submitting videos and it was all over Facebook of a smaller alligator swimming around in Hardin County. As officers, we get reports all the time of alligators in southwest Tennessee.”

Snider says the reason for these sightings is the reptiles’ natural migration and the route they are taking.

“They are naturally migrating up from the South,” Snider said. “Mississippi has had hunting season since 2005. They have a large population of alligators. They have never had an attack, which is one thing I want to go ahead and bring out because we have a lot of people bringing that up today.”

Many viewers who have seen the video are reacting, but Snyder wants people to understand the actual facts about the harm alligators can cause.

“You know alligators are more scared of you than you should be of it. I mean, they are not just going to swim up to you and say ‘hey, what’s going on?'” Snider added.

Snider also says you cannot hunt, shoot or harass the gators. If the state doesn’t have a season in the hunting guide, the animal cannot be hunted.

Snider adds that all of the alligators the TWRA have been seeing are laying low in the backwaters. The employee who shot the video was using binoculars, and once officials neared the alligator it moved away quickly.

“Due to the warm Tennessee winters, I mean our winters are not harsh anymore, and what cold spells we have, they can easily survive those,” Snider said.

Snider advises that if you see an alligator, just simply let it be.