Local Farmers Surprised to Find a 7-foot Alligator in Their Front Yard

As Turner Earhart and Owen Luebke headed out to check their rice fields on Wednesday, June 29, they didn’t expect things to go the way they did. As they left the farm shop, they noticed what they first thought was a blown tire in the ditch, but upon closer inspection, they knew that they were mistaken.

Earhart and Luebke realized that they were looking at an alligator. Right there, in the front ditch, laid a 7-foot plus alligator and they knew they needed to have it relocated.

An Arkansas Game & Fish Officer just happened to drive by and the two flagged him down to assist them. After a few phone calls, a few more AG&F officers arrived and they were able to safely secure the alligator and transport it to a safe location.

Prior to moving the alligator, AGFC officers tagged it and documented its length and sex. AGFC officers relocate alligators to areas where they are not harmful to the general public. Although it can be alarming to see an alligator, according to Arkansas.com, “Alligators have been in Arkansas for thousands of years. Their numbers were heavily depleted by unregulated market hunting (purses, belts, shoes, etc.) and the draining of wetlands from 1860 to 1960. They are now mainly found in the lower third of the state.”

Did you know that the American alligator has an adaptation in the throat called glottis? This allows them to capture prey completely submerged in water. Another interesting fact about alligators is that females can lay up to 90 eggs in their nests and when the young are ready to hatch, they make a high-pitched noise from inside their eggs.

If you happen to come across an alligator in your yard or near your home, as Earhart and Owens did, please contact your local AGFC office.

*Photos courtesy of JoAnna Earhart