A fisherman in Tennessee has reeled in an alligator that wildlife officials suspect was “being illegally held in captivity and possibly released” into a lake in the eastern part of the state.
The unusual catch of the 3- to 4-foot-long reptile in Norris Lake on Monday comes as state wildlife officials say that alligators are “naturally expanding their range into Tennessee from the southern border states.”
“While the origin of the alligator is unclear, it is evident that it was being illegally held in captivity and possibly released into Norris Lake,” Matthew Cameron, regional communications coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), told The Associated Press.
The TWRA said, “This particular alligator was temporarily housed at Little Ponderosa Zoo until a permanent home was found.
“In previous years a 7-foot alligator was videoed by TWRA Region 1 personnel in West Tennessee at the Wolf River WMA in Fayette County. There have been several confirmed sightings of alligators in Southwest Tennessee in recent years,” it continued.
“Alligators are naturally expanding their range into Tennessee from the southern border states,” the agency added in a statement. “TWRA has not stocked any alligators in Tennessee. Alligators expanding into Tennessee is just another species that we must learn to coexist with like many of the other southern states
