Fishermen who claimed to have seen an alligator in a Coffey County lake were right.
On Wednesday, Brad Hageman was called to the lake near Wolf Creek Nuclear Generating Plant after a fisherman hooked a dead alligator, according to Ron Kaufman, director of information services for Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Hageman is a natural resource officer for Wildlife and Parks and is stationed out of New Strawn.
Wolf Creek is east of New Strawn and about 10 miles north of Burlington.
The alligator measured about 5 feet, 3 inches in length.
Kaufman said that over the past few years, several people had reported sighting an alligator at the lake area, but its existence had not been confirmed officially until Wednesday.
"It was found yesterday floating in the effluent area," Kaufman said. "We're still trying to determine what to do with it."
The alligator is expected to be stored temporarily in a cooler or freezer until a decision is made on its handling and disposal.
No estimate of the alligator's age was available, nor was it known how long the reptile had been in the lake. Alligators in the wild live in milder climates, though it appears to have survived some cold weather before its discovery this week.
"It would not be unusual for them to perish though in the serious cold weather we’ve had," Kaufman said. "Certainly the 'gator would not normally occur in Kansas."
The alligator may have been released at the lake after it grew too large to be kept as a pet.
"They're pretty cute when they're little," Kaufman said, "sometimes pretty popular in pet shops, particularly in the south or on the black market. But they don't make good pets. They grow to be big creatures."
Depending upon its environment, age, and other factors, alligators commonly grow to be 8 to 12 feet long.
Coffey County Sheriff's officers initially were called to the lake when the alligator was found.
Kaufman said more information would be released later from Wildlife and Parks headquarters in Pratt.
DJrocksthemic (anonymous) says...
I say if it's in good condition, some gator gumbo is in order, invite some of the folk out for it. *Zydeco music starts playing in the background* AIEEEEEEE! Emporia's resident cajun.
January 28, 2010 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
I've seen the pictures.Pretty good sized!
January 28, 2010 at 2:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
uranidiot (anonymous) says...
Used to be a guy in Emporia that had a pet gator. Wonder if it was his.
January 28, 2010 at 2:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
I'd say K-State ought to take it to find out how old it is,diet,and possibly how long it's been in the wild.Might oughta take a survey to see if it's the only one!
January 28, 2010 at 3:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
How funny! Maybe we should check the sewers now. ;)
With the warm water coming out of Wolf Creek and the mild winters we've had the last couple of years, I would not be surprised if it's been in there a year or two. I bet a lot of fisherman are feeling vindicated right now after being teased about seing gators.
January 28, 2010 at 3:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
I really wish there was a way to tell how long it has been in the lake, if not for the harsh cold we have had this year I wonder how long it could have sustained itself and grew.
January 28, 2010 at 3:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
Should this article be in the "Sports" or "Culinary"section?
January 28, 2010 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
DJrocksthemic
Love that cajun culture and Zydeco......years ago I worked for a short time pushing oil barges up and down the intercostal from Port Arthur to Eglin AFB in Fla. we would lock through New Orleans and run through the bayou country. That's about all we listened to on the boat was cajun radio.
January 28, 2010 at 7:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
seadog14 (anonymous) says...
Here in the South we don't have them in pet shops, nor do we keep them as pets--I feel bad for the poor thing, it died a terrible death, lucky for you all no one got hurt or killed by the alligator. But when someone from the Wildlife Division doesn't know what they are talking about, now that's scary.
January 28, 2010 at 10:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
koalemos (anonymous) says...
Actually there have been fishermen who disappeared in that lake never to be found.
January 28, 2010 at 11:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
seadog14
I agree.....it did probably die a terrible death from this severe cold we have had this winter......alligators are cold-blooded and not meant to live in sub-arctic environments. I don't know why people can't leave nature's wildlife where it belongs.
January 29, 2010 at 4:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hometownkid (anonymous) says...
UUMMM I love me some gator pie, gator grits, gator gumbo, and gator sticks. UUMMM That's all I have to say about that
January 29, 2010 at 7:12 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
The water is that warm when it's released into the lake, but it doesn't stay that warm very long in that large of a lake. There has been alot of out of state boats, including alot of the TV fishing and hunting "celebrities", put in out there. There is a possibility the gator could have rode in on a boat trailer, who knows?
January 29, 2010 at 9:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
That would be an awfully big hitchhiker on a boat trailer. Someone probably got one as a pet then released it when it got too big. People don't realize how large some reptiles can get. They buy a cute little iguana or snake at the pet store without checking its adult size. Reptiles can be expensive to maintain what with fresh food (often live critters) and heating requirements needed. We have a kingsnake and she costs us several dollars a week to feed and keep warm. Any pet is a responsibility not to be taken lightly. I'll get off my soap box, now. :)
January 29, 2010 at 10:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
carlosliquor (anonymous) says...
thats awesome,, i dont know how i woulda reacted had i seen an Alligator at the lake,, ,, definately would have tried to hook it, and mount it on my wall
January 29, 2010 at 10:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Who knows how long the thing has been out there and how big it was when it was introduced Madpoet. Zebra mussels are being spread that way, just offering up another possibility besides some schmuck dumping a pet.
January 29, 2010 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fishingdad (anonymous) says...
Oh who knows, probably just got too big to keep in some good old boys bathtub.
January 30, 2010 at 4:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
That alligator was simply here as a harbinger of good news for the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl. Put your bets down here, boys. Who Dat?
January 30, 2010 at 7:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
create......You know it's true...!
January 30, 2010 at 7:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HillsReader (anonymous) says...
If he was in good shape, he may have been a very recent release because they don't withstand cold well, their internal digestion shuts down, food rots inside and kills them.
Had he lived in there he would have been floating around during all those cold times having died earlier as it got colder, floated preserved by the cold,rotting and showing decompostion during the warmer days, and just now thawing.
He is in really good shape from the photo I saw, but I didn't study it a lot.
I'm thinking he's a recent release that didn't make it.
here is a link on alligators and cold.
http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/Wild...
January 31, 2010 at 4:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )