Justin Wyrick caught the gator in a part of Tennessee where the reptiles are not known to exist.
The extraordinary catch Monday of an alligator at an East Tennessee lake has piqued the interest of state biologists.
Justin Wyrick hooked the alligator while casting a jig for bass at Norris Lake. The toothy critter measured 3-plus feet.
According to the Volunteer Times, Wyrick’s brother Tyler helped Justin get the gator safely on shore.
The catch was so rare that a Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officer biologist arrived to confirm the species and deliver the gator to the Little Ponderosa Zoo.
Alligators are not native to Tennessee and sightings in East Tennessee are exceedingly rare. (The gator caught by Wyrick might have been an illegal pet released into the waterway.)
However, the TWRA states on its website that alligators are expanding into Southwest Tennessee from neighboring southern states.
In recent years, the agency explained, several confirmed sightings have been recorded. One of the gators, caught on video at the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area, measured 7 feet.
“Alligators expanding into Tennessee is just another species that we must learn to coexist with like many of the other southern states,” the TWRA website states. “Alligators can survive Tennessee winters by going into a hibernation-like dormancy called brumation.”
The agency added: “TWRA would like to remind everyone that possessing or releasing alligators in Tennessee is illegal and poses safety and ecological risks as well as alligators are a protected species and catching or shooting one is a violation of the law.
“If you come across one while exploring the outdoors in West TN, leave it alone and enjoy Tennessee’s unique biodiversity.”
–Image showing Justin Wyrick with the alligator is courtesy of Patricia Goins
