This week, in the West Central Alligator Hunting Zone, Tanner White from Flora, Don Woods from Oxford, Will Thomas from Madison, and Joey Clark from Jackson, harvested an alligator that established a new state record.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) acknowledged their catch as the lengthiest male alligator ever harvested in the state. The announcement was made through a post on the agency’s Facebook page.
The MDWFP’s Facebook post detailed the measurements of the alligator: “Its length is 14 feet and 3 inches, with a belly girth measuring 66 inches and a tail girth of 46.5 inches. It tipped the scales at 802.5 lbs.”
Thomas Will, a member of a team of four hunters, appeared on Fox & Friends on Tuesday, August 29, to elaborate on the impressive alligator his group managed to catch using their fishing gear.
Their hunting expedition took place on the Yazoo River the previous Friday evening. Reeling in the massive 14-foot alligator proved to be an arduous task; it occupied them for nearly seven hours, reported by Will.
According to Insider, the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approximated the caught alligator in 2005 to be at least 20 years old. This implies it is roughly 40 to 45 years old currently. The age and size are quite uncommon for its kind. At the research facility, a team from Clemson University was sent to collect tissue samples and the stomach of the alligator. This was to conduct a study on the potential impact of the river’s water content on the habits and diets of local alligators.
Christy Plott, who serves as the Vice Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Crocodile Specialist Group, spoke to Insider regarding public opinion on the practice of culling alligators. She mentioned that while there might be apprehension among the public towards the killing of these creatures, it represents a positive development for the local ecosystem.
“The culling process in the wild is quite remarkable. It provides an effective method of controlling the population of the species,” stated Plott. She explained that roughly 1 to 2% of wild alligators are culled each year, which, while not a large figure, achieves the goal of removing larger, non-productive breeding animals. This, in turn, prevents them from hindering the breeding process of other alligators — a scenario which could be detrimental to the overall population.
She further noted that larger alligators can present a significant threat to pets, livestock, and even humans, thus making their capture a significant boon for the local community.
[sourcelink link=”https://www.insider.com/800-pound-monster-alligator-caught-mississippi-state-record-soup-kitchens-2023-8#:~:text=A%20behemoth%20alligator%20more%20than,766%20pounds%2C%20Fox%20News%20reported.”]
