Holy Crappie! Fishing trip leads alligator sightings on Illinois River.
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TAHLEQUAH, OK (KOTV) -
For one Nowata, OK man his latest catch might not be his biggest, but it was sure his strangest while fishing in the countryside. His unusual discovery has the whole town talking.
A 4-foot alligator is not what one would expect to see laying on the sand banks of a popular Oklahoma tourist destination.
"This is my first time ever running across anything like this," Ervin Franklin said.
The 70-year-old was out fishing for crappie last Saturday when he saw the 45 pounds of rubbery scales.
"I didn't even get a bite as far as crappie fishing, but this was a bigger find," he said.
It was lying motionless on the banks, with part of his tail sticking in the water.
"At first I thought it was a dead fish laying there. The closer I got, I seen the legs, and I realized it wasn't a fish," he said. "about that time the gator splashed off in the water and I lost sight of him."
Making sure it was safe, Franklin packed up his float and headed to talk to the police.
"I knew that if I didn't tell nobody somebody might end up getting hurt. They aren't going to believe you've seen an alligator down in a pothole along the river," he said. "but something has to be done about this.
Franklin also reported his find to the game warden who told him they had also received other reports of sightings in the area.
"I may end up trying to fish him out," Franklin said. "I think he would look good stuffed on my porch"
Officials at the Oklahoma Department of Conservation can't confirm what the reptile was, but say it is either an alligator or a caiman. An extensive search for the gator has lead to several other reported sightings and officials now believe there may be more than one in the Tahlequah area. More recent sightings have taken place near the Arrowhead campground but business has resumed as usual although officials have warned if you do see a gator to not approach it and to immediately leave the area.
"The last thing we want is a drunk college kid getting his hand bit off because he tried to show off to his friends and pet a wild gator." Officer Davis said, "everyone needs to be aware and keep their eyes open at all times."
They can't say for sure, because they don't have anyone who specializes in the species this far north. But whatever it was, officials say it probably was somebody's pet they let go.
If you have a spotting officials are asking you to call Ranger Thomas with the OK Dept of Wildlife at 918-977-1826
This is a satirical website. Don't take it Seriously. It's a joke.
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