they are small in size at the present time. Find your next adventure Nestled in the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas, Beaver Lake is a nature lover's delight during all seasons. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. At least one local staff member at the Falls Lake State Park speculated that perhaps this was someone's pet that they let go in the lake. It has a large, long head with visible upper teeth along the edge of the jaws. It contains over 3 miles of accessible sidewalks and trails. A few years ago one was caught in a farm pond near Elkins. Wildlife officials are sometimes called to trap and remove alligators that settle in on people's property off the refuge, but by and large Cooley said they have not presented a problem. They are opportunistic predators. For the longest time it was just kind of like a rumor, said Harken. Be sure to pack a lunch because there are also plenty of picnic tables and restrooms for your crew! Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. So now when you see one, everybody knows about it. Lakeside Day Use. Your email address will not be published. Many people played a part in creating Arkansas as we know it today. come to the vinity bottoms in south white county. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Just wanted to know what is the most northern location in the state of Arkansas that you have seen an alligator? Towering limestone bluffs, natural caves and a variety of trees and flowering shrubs afford shutter bugs and nature lovers hours of enjoyment throughout the year. The answer is: yes. Been doing research on the Arkansas gator population. The story, supposedly, is the alligators were brought here in the (1930s and 1940s) to help with beaver overpopulation, said Dr. Karen Sheppard, the city of Huntsvilles animal services director. too - would be a no-go for you. Another thread with great potential.turned Gay. Pullen Pond also has Gators. "There are reports of them near Guntersville, so that's a pretty large area of the Tennessee River that's had reports of them.". Members of a local hunting club were called out to [], [] Alligators in Arkansas by Kimberly Mitchell []. Biologistsat Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge and at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville saythe toothy creatures are seen every now and then in both locations,usually in out-of-the-way spots where few people go. It is full of Gators of all sizes. Little maumelle, back water of arkansas river in little rock. The word unprovoked is key. On Wednesday, J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue, based in Menasha, Wisconsin, posted about the 18-24-inch American alligator on Facebook. Copyright 2023 WTVD-TV. Cooley said larger, maturealligators have enough body mass to survive the colderwinters, but the newly-hatchedones likely die off most years. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Lake Jesup, Florida. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. We can also verify it is possible there are some alligators in Lake . Though theyre quick, they dont like chasing prey over long distances. From bears and bobcats to feral pigs and swamp rabbits, wildlife in Arkansas is part of the natural beauty of our state. Lake O' The Pines. You will also like: Does the Arkansas River have alligators? And theyre here to stay, and the federal and state agencies, theyre protected. When asked if he'd go swimming in Falls Lake after this experience, he responded, "I would never go, only fishing" with a laugh. Alligators have lived in Arkansas for thousands of years. And they want us, you know, to leave them alone.. Hes like perpendicular to my boat and he submerges, said Harken. He says he waited and slowly got closer to the animal, following it along its path until it was right beside him. Relatives say former US Marine killed fighting in, What about Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner left in, Russia frees US Marine vet as part of prisoner exchange, Strike kills 50 at crowded Ukraine rail station, Pink Floyd members reunite and record song for Ukraine, US to send $100M more in military aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian poisonings kill 2 Russian soldiers: officials, Woman says she hopes for change with Every Child, Conway PD establishes 2nd Community Crisis Response, Gen. Wesley Clark speaks with UA Little Rock students, AR bill would put OD kits at public high schools,, Family gets answers in hit-and-run death of loved, Arkansas LEARNS bill goes before House Education, AST Blog: Multiple rounds of severe storms are coming, Why the $2B jackpot winner got less than half, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Unfortunately, we lost a large part of the alligator population due to unregulated market hunting and their wetlands being drained. It might just be an alligator. 1. Please try viewing this website in Edge, Mozilla, Chrome, or another modern browser. A fed alligator, Hudson said, is a dead alligator. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Arkansas Posts wetland marshes, bayous and low terrain offer prime habitat for alligators. [], [] the alligator population in Arkansas began to dwindle. I'd check with Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and Arkansas Wildlife Management for more details. A local man has quite the fish tale to tell after hooking a gator in Falls Lake, and he has the pictures and video to prove it. However, one of the largest and most startling animals in Arkansas is the alligator. Someone told me that and I know the lake's got some big ones. AND. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. After all, arent alligators dangerous predators? Huntsville police also responded to a call about an alligator in the middle of Haysland Road in south Huntsville last month. As most of you in the AR forum know, we are frequent visitors and also have serious aspirations about relocating to AR at some point, but with small kids who love water the gator thing always makes me nervous. Folks love the bass fishing in this lake. The word unprovoked is key. When you take a picture of one, everybody knows about it. They create alligator holes, deep holes near their watery habitats. It has been called Dr. Seuss Day because of this. "But those 56 alligators that were released in 1979 are probably why we see alligators here along the Tennessee River today.". Boykin Springs Day Use Pass Harken says he noticed the gator while searching for fish on his kayak. If you happen to be fishing or hiking and come across an alligator, leave the animal alone. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Im pretty brave and I love nature and photography so taking a video was my first instinct, Adams said. Stephen Rhodes was out at Falls Lake fishing for large mouth bass when he spotted something strange. It was a small (4 footish) gator but there were pics in the local paper and several write-ups during that summer a couple years ago Wattensaw refuge has a few also Cypress Bayou WMA. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We were getting ready for bed and , Here in Arkansas, we have a lot of raccoons. And as the two growing populations spread out, they occasionally bump into each other. Ziggy, who told you about my speedo action ?.hehe. -source. While alligators can be found along the coastal regions of the southeastern part of our state, it's unusual to find them this far north and inland. Magnolia Ridge. Its becoming less and less unusual to see an alligator in Huntsville and more and more common to see a picture or a video of a Huntsville alligator show up in your social media feeds. Pets, and children are a different story, but just be careful. Its estimated that up to 3 million American alligators lived in the swamps, rivers and lakes of the southeast. (Mature alligators) eat fish, they eat snakes, they eat a lot of turtles and muskrats they find in the water, otters, raccoons, they even eat smaller alligators, Hudson said. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. He said it might take a few mild winters in a row to have significant numbers of young gators reach adulthood. Harken says there was always talk about a possible alligator roaming the waters of Lake Conway, but without proof, in Central Arkansas, its hard to believe. Alligator attacks are rare, experts say, and none have been reported in Huntsville. Pen & Quin: International Agents of Intrigue - The Mystery of the Painted Book is her debut novel. Walleye stocking photos: Beaver Lake Walleye: back to top. Although there have been legitimate sightings of a "Caiman" in the Bill Williams River, near the mouth at Lake Havasu. And so, in a sense, a natural phenomenon is taking place. It always makes me wonder , We live out in the country in Arkansas. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. 05-27-2016, 01:43 PM Old Fossil The truth is, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas hasn't seen an unprovoked alligator attack or human death from an alligator in at least 20 years. Now it was time to bring the native population The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began relocating young alligators from Louisiana in 1972 and continued through 1984, bringing over. Its also the growth of the alligator population, which leads to offspring being pushed out of their original location by other territorial alligators. They can withstand periods of ice by sticking their snout out of . the state record which i believe is at the ar zoo, came from below millwood not on millwood itself, the area is located around grassy lake, yeller creek, cypress bayou, but i have seen 15-17 ft'rs on millwood in the mud lake area. This also may have been the case with the alligator spotted in Claremore Lake, with the DWC spokesperson saying that someone likely released the animal into the lake illegally, News On 6 reported. Occasionally they will feed on larger animals such as possums, raccoons, and deer. We have a lot of rabbits on our property and we enjoy watching them scamper all through , Recently, I learned that alligators can climb fences. These days, youll mostly find alligators in the southern portion of Arkansas. Over a dozen alligators in lengths up to 14 feet can be found in the waters of Arkansas Post National Memorial. Come join the discussion about offshore racing, performance, modifications, builds, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Take your camera to capture a photo of an alligator! I wanted to get some local takes on how prevalent they actually are. 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