Large alligator spotted near N.C.-Va. state line

Posted to: Environment News Outdoors North Carolina
Login or register to post comments

The Associated Press
© April 27, 2011

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C.

A close encounter with a 7-foot alligator near the North Carolina-Virginia state line came as a shock to a family fishing on the Pasquotank River near South Mills.

A state wildlife resources agent said today the sighting indicates milder winters are enticing the massive reptiles farther north.

Laurie Duncan said she was fishing with her husband and 13-year-old daughter about five miles south of the state line Saturday when they noticed the alligator sunning itself on the riverbank.

Duncan says the reptile remained motionless for a while then slid into the water.

Wildlife Resources agent Norman Watts says alligator habitats have crept slowly up the coast as average annual temperatures have risen.

Watts said alligators typically do not display aggressive behavior against humans unless a female with babies is disturbed.

COMMENTS ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here; comments do not reflect the views of The Virginian-Pilot or its websites. Users must follow agreed-upon rules: Be civil, be clean, be on topic; don't attack private individuals, other users or classes of people. Read the full rules here.
- Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the report violation link below it.

VP...or Animal Planet?

Submitted by Mercenary on Thu, 04/28/2011 at 6:52 am.

Ok...first there was 3 days of print about the bear in Va. Beach! (Not THAT unusual). Second, there was the uproar over a bird being hit by an airplane (happens every day). NOW...there's ink being wasted on an alligator seen near the State line, near the Great Dismal Swamp, no less (been seeing them for years). Am I subscribing to the Va Pilot or Animal Planet???!!! Get real!

get real

Submitted by rong99093 on Thu, 04/28/2011 at 2:47 pm.

lighten up guy. Get a sense of humor about life.

Guess he was enjoying our

Submitted by self ed.opine on Thu, 04/28/2011 at 2:40 am.

Guess he was enjoying our new midnight temperatures of 78 degrees in the month of April.

Imagination

Submitted by rustidad on Wed, 04/27/2011 at 9:04 pm.

Hey, State Agent It must have been my imagination that the last two winters have been far less than mild! All government employees must have been ordered to further the global warming agenda, right Mike B.?

NOT news

Submitted by Niteliter on Wed, 04/27/2011 at 7:02 pm.

I have seen Alligators in Blackwater for years.

They Have Always Been Here

Submitted by swampi on Wed, 04/27/2011 at 4:55 pm.

There have been gator sightings in Tidewater for the past 50 years. Newport News had a 10 foot gator that was shot by a game warden in 1973. They were still an endangered species then so there was a small controversy. A couple of years ago a large gator was killed by a car on US 17 at the Va/NC border. Anyone who goes to Lake Mattamuskeet in North Carolina is aware of the many gators there. Bears and gators have always been in Tidewater.