NC Wildlife experts explain reasoning behind recent area alligator sightings

LELAND, NC (WWAY)– Several alligator sightings have been reported over the last couple of days in Brunswick County. 

Including one spotted Saturday morning near Walmart and highway 55 in Leland. 

It was said to be between six and seven feet long.  

Magnolia Greens residents and folks in Sunset Beach have also seen them out and about lately.   

Bradley Jordan with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says that alligator sightings aren’t uncommon during the warmer months, because the same way we like to get out when it’s nice and warm, so do they.   

“During the spring time all the way through the summer time when it’s pretty weather, alligators tend to get more active and move around. They’re going from bodies of water just to reacclimate themselves, and it’s also mating season so they are out and about. After the cold months and they are hibernating from the winter, they come out when it’s really pretty,” said Jordan, Master Officer in the Law Enforcement Division.  

Jordan says that if you do see an alligator, it’s important to leave them alone because their natural instinct is survival. So, if bothered, they could turn aggressive. It is also illegal to tamper with the animals.  

For more information on what to do if you do spot an alligator somewhere it shouldn’t be, you can click here to find more information from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.