Alligator living at Walmart in NC stirs debate, as many demand it be allowed to stay
There’s an alligator living outside a Walmart in Eastern North Carolina and, as strange as it sounds, a lot of people are demanding it be allowed to stay.
City officials in Havelock, located about 130 miles southeast of Raleigh, announced the discovery Feb. 24 in a social media post.
“An alligator was spotted in the retention pond at the Havelock Wal-Mart,” the city wrote. “For your safety, please do not approach or feed the alligator.”
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has also been contacted to make sure it is aware of the alligator.
However, many in Havelock are making it clear they don’t want “their” alligator relocated. Alligators are native to North Carolina and this one has apparently been around long enough to earn a name. Some call it Ollie and others refer to it as Henry.
“If someone gets attacked, more than likely they jumped the fence and they will deserve whatever Ollie Gator gives them!” Frank L Sullivan Sr. wrote on the city’s Facebook page.
“It’s his home! Leave him be! He has been there for years,” Melinda McElroy posted.
“If it wanted to eat people it would of done it already,” Marcus Beeks Jr. said.
Those in favor of seeing it removed note the alligator has become a risk because people have been feeding it.
Macey Markward said she expects to “walk out and see an alligator at my car” any time she visits the store.
“Any of y’all ever seen a gator climb a chain link fence?” Jimmy Sanders Sr. posted.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reports a biologist has already visited the Walmart retention pond, and it recommends the 4.5-foot alligator stay put. The pond is surrounded by a chain-link fence, and alligator warning signs were posted by Walmart — at the state’s suggestion, wildlife officials told McClatchy News.
It’s suspected the alligator has lived in the pond as long as 8 years, largely missed by the store’s patrons, officials said.
“There is no reason to relocate it. This small alligator is not harming anybody,” District 2 wildlife biologist Christopher Kent told McClatchy News.
“Our stance is, we don’t want to relocate alligators. We know for a fact they often don’t stay (at a new location) and often get hit by cars trying to find a way back to where they were removed. We (the department) would like to dispel the myth that alligators need to be relocated.”
For safety tips on coexisting with alligators in North Carolina, visit WWW.ncwildlife.org/Alligator.
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