Large alligator calmly walked house to house like a stray dog, NC officials say

Alligators tend to avoid people in North Carolina, so it was definitely unusual when one left its swamp on Memorial Day and began wandering Southport like a lost puppy.

Photos and videos shared on social media show the 9-foot gator was spotted lounging in the street, waddling across lawns, napping in driveways, sniffing at flowerbeds, and sneaking into backyards.

Southport police received as many as 20 calls about it, starting at 3 a.m. The department eventually posted an alert on social media, warning Stuart Avenue residents to be on the lookout for “a large alligator.”

“So I was out working on the (flower) bed this morning and the police said I may want to get in the house. Now, I know why,” Julie St Germain-Sylvestre posted on Facebook, sharing video of the alligator sniffing at her mulch.

“Thank you SPT PD for giving me the advanced warning that he was making his way on over.”

Video recorded by Terence Hines shows the gator was “walking through Southport, just chillin’,” and made no pretense of hiding. Some social media commenters called the sight terrifying, but more seemed to find humor in the audacity.

“Eastern Carolina yard dog. Feral, will bite, do not attempt to feed or adopt,” Tom Toby posted on Facebook.

“He is looking for the neighborhood Memorial Day BBQ,” Russell Bradley wrote.

The alligator was captured around 9:30 a.m. by specially trained Southport police officers in the 200 block of Stuart Avenue and relocated to a less populated site, officials said.

“Many of the calls were from residents who feared the alligator because it was getting so close to their doors and in their yards,” town officials told The Charlotte Observer.

The alligator’s new home was not revealed, but Stuart Avenue is not far from the murky Cape Fear River, which is popular with alligators.

Southport is about a 160-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.