Did You See the Huge Alligator on Benton Road in Bossier Parish?

Driving in Louisiana can be an adventure in itself. You never know what you'll see on the side of the road. Someone's old couch; a sink hole large enough to swallow a vehicle; maybe even an overturned eighteen wheeler load of frozen turkeys. Now, lots of us have spotted on the occasional displaced wildlife like deer, hogs or even beavers, but not too often do we see an alligator. A HUGE alligator!

Well, that changed just a couple days ago, on Monday, June 15th, when travelers on Highway 3 (Benton Road) near Chinaberry Drive, saw something a little unusual on the side of the road. It was a ten foot long female alligator!

Her sheer size made her unmistakable. No one wondered what it was. They were certain this big girl was in a place where she didn't need to be and that she needed to be moved before someone got hurt. Can you imagine what could have happened had she wandered into traffic?

She was heading south in the northbound lane, when Bossier Sheriff's Deputies discovered her around 5:00 am. They immediately contacted the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries who quickly came to take over the scene before there were any incidents.

The sad part of the story is that Wildlife and Fisheries agents had to euthanize the gator. According to Louisiana state law, any alligator this size or larger must be dispatched and cannot be relocated.