By Emory Waye, Contributing Writer

On Friday, August 29, an Instagram post from the USA Police Department sparked concern from many South students. The photos showed a giant alligator that had apparently been pulled from the campus pond. The USA Grounds Department and the Safety & Environmental Compliance Department were recently notified about the animal by a concerned faculty member.

photo courtesy of usa.policedepartment instagram

In order to alleviate any safety concerns from students, we contacted Scott Crow, the Associate Director of the USA Grounds Department. According to Crow, it has been roughly a decade since the last alligator removal, which prompted the “Beware of Alligator” signs that surround the pond now. 

“If an animal such as this one is spotted or reported, the University begins the process of locating it and determining if it is a safety concern,” said Crow. The State Resource Office will then utilize hired personnel to decide whether the animal is a threat to safety. After considering many factors, such as the behavior of the animal, it is then decided if it needs to be relocated.

The alligator was removed by Chris from Alligator Removal Service. While the exact measurements and weight were not taken, the state contractor estimated that it was about 10 feet long, and 400-500 pounds. The animal was captured with ropes and removed from the pond using a small utility vehicle. 

photo courtesy of usa.policedepartment Instagram

The USA Police Department announced the news on its official Instagram account (@usa.policedepartment), and the caption read, “We told you dem gators in da pond! Thanks to Chris from Alligator Removal Service for rehoming our new friend!” There were mixed reactions from students and other Instagram viewers regarding this removal, with some students commending the great job, and others seemed unhappy about it. One Instagram comment read, “A 40 year old animal that never hurt anyone and was taken from his home. Remove Chris, and put the gator back.” Some students seemed relatively neutral on the situation, commenting that the alligator should be the University’s unofficial mascot. Several comments indicated that this alligator was known by the students, with one student posting that they saw the gator across from the Marx Library a few weeks ago.

We reached out to Green Jags, the University’s environmental club, for comment on the situation. Club president Ella Summers responded, “I think the removal is a great opportunity to teach students about how they should interact with wildlife on campus, and it highlights a shortcoming in some communication across campus because there was no explicit statement of why the alligator was removed. Whether it was true or not, I can’t say, but I have heard that students were feeding the gator and that was the cause of the safety issue it posed. Regardless, it is incredibly important not to feed the wildlife on campus, especially the alligators, because if they begin to associate people with food, they may begin to seek out people or families visiting campus that they would otherwise leave alone. Alabama is the most biodiverse state in the U.S., and we love being able to see that diversity on campus, but it comes with responsibility.” To learn more about the Green Jags, visit their Instagram @green_jags_usa.