Large gator — missing 10 inches of its tail — found in backyard, NC captors say
.jpg "Two alligators have appeared this month in the same Southport neighborhood, North Carolina officials say. One of the gators (not this one) was missing 10 inches of its tail, officials said.")
For the second time in three weeks, an alligator has been caught roaming the same North Carolina neighborhood, only this time the intruder was missing a big chunk of its tail.
The odd discovery was made around 7 a.m. Sunday, April 27, in Southport, and a tipster initially reported the gator was “in the road on West 11th Street,” police said in a news release.
“Officers responded to the area and found an alligator in the backyard of a home,” police said.
“Due to the size, approx 12-14 feet, N.C. Wildlife responded with personnel and equipment to assist. ... Larger gators can be extremely dangerous and we don’t have equipment to handle (them).”
The alligator proved to be 10-feet, 1-inch long, but that measurement is a little deceiving.
It’s estimated the alligator was missing more than 10 inches of its tail, according to state wildlife biologist John Henry Harrelson.
“That missing tail could come from any number of reasons, including losing it as a juvenile to a turtle or bird during a predation attempt. Or it could be from an interaction with another alligator,” Harrelson told McClatchy News in an email.
It’s a loss that does not impact their ability to survive in the wild, experts say.
The alligator was captured and relocated to a wilderness area managed by the Wildlife Resources Commission, Harrelson said.
It’s the second time this month an alligator was found in that part of Southport, which is about a 160-mile drive southeast from Raleigh.
On April 8, a 5-foot alligator was caught about two blocks away, trying to climb a fence, officials say. It was captured and relocated to “a nearby remote creek.”
Alligators are native to coastal counties in southeastern N.C., and they typically avoid contact with people, experts say.
However, May is the start of alligator mating season, when the males are known to wander from their homes in search of mates, the state says.
It’s against state law for people to “harass, provoke, or touch any alligator” and feeding them is strictly forbidden — “no matter its size,” the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Large gator — missing 10 inches of its tail — found in backyard, NC captors say."