Over the past few years, Tennesseans have seen an influx of wildlife that has been slightly unnerving… Justin Stefanski from the Rutherford County Agriculture Extension Service told WGNS about confirmed alligator sightings in the Volunteer State…

About 50-miles east of Memphis in Fayette County, Tennessee, a fisherman spotted a 7-foot-long alligator. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) responded to the call and confirmed the oversized reptile in the Wolf River, a waterway that begins in Mississippi and ends in the Memphis area – flowing into the Mississippi River. According to the agency, “There have been several confirmed sightings of alligators in Southwest Tennessee in recent years.”

Earlier this year, the TWRA confirmed a 3-foot-long alligator was found to be bathing in Norris Lake, a popular body of water that’s located in East Tennessee. Norris Lake covers about 375 square miles and is only 25 miles north of Knoxville, TN. Officials with the state wrote, “…it was an alligator and not a caiman,” adding that the ‘gator was relocated to the Little Ponderosa Zoo in Clinton, TN.

In case you’re curious, alligators do have the ability to survive the winter months of the Volunteer State, as noted by Agriculture Agent Stefanski… Officials with the TWRA remind WGNS listeners that alligators, “…are a protected species, and any attempt to capture or kill them is a violation of the law.”  

East and West Tennessee are not the only areas to see new friends. In November of last year, the TWRA confirmed that a black bear was struck by an oncoming car. The incident occurred around  20-miles south of Murfreesboro in Shelbyville, TN on Highway 231 South... The bear that found itself in Bedford County weighed up to 500-pounds, according to a TWRA estimate. From nose to tail, the bear was 78-inches long and its paws appeared to be about 7 or 8-inches wide. Click the bear paw photo below to see more of the pictures that were captured in Bedford County this past November (2023).

Some people go hog wild in Tennessee - - hunting wild hogs… The TWRA reports that wild hogs are invasive exotic animals that cause extensive damage to crops and wildlife habitats. According to rules and regulations in the state, landowners may shoot wild hogs without limit, year-round, during the day, with pretty much any weapon and ammunition. But if you hit one, you’ll want to avoid eating it… It’s an animal that should come with a label that says, “Not for Human Consumption.” Wild hogs are known to carry diseases harmful to both livestock and humans.