How the Government Brought Alligators to North Alabama

Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you're probably aware of the growing number of alligators spotted in the Tennessee Valley. Exactly how those alligators got here is a hot topic of debate. While many conservationists argue that they've been here all along, some people claim that the government brought them here. That may sound like a wild conspiracy theory, but it's not. This is the true story of how the federal government brought alligators to north Alabama.

Photo byGreg JewettonUnsplash

In 1979, Ronnie Flippo was the representative of north Alabama's 5th district. A native of Florence, Flippo was known as a man for the people. He listened and took action for his constituents. When a woman from Morgan County spotted an alligator at one of her favorite fishing spots, she was very concerned. She contacted Flippo's office to lodge a complaint. After a short investigation, Flippo was concerned, too. What he discovered was a secret operation by the federal government: a plan to introduce a viable population of alligators to north Alabama.

In the mid 1900s, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was trying to save the American alligator. Unregulated hunting and loss of habitat had pushed the reptile to the brink of extinction. Alabama was the first state to give the alligator protected status in 1938. Then, the alligator was given federal protection in 1967 and listed on the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Throughout the 1970s, conservationists in the federal government looked for new habitats where alligators could thrive. A federally protected area in north Alabama seemed like the ideal place.

In June of 1979, a total of 55 alligators were transplanted from the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana to five swampy areas along the northern banks of the Tenneessee River in Limestone, Morgan and Madison Counties. Those swampy areas fell under the jurisdiction of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge of Decatur. The release was done under the supervision of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which falls under the U.S. Department of the Interior. Some media sources said that the director of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge requested the alligators to be brought to north Alabama.

In the late 1970s, Tom Atkeson was the director of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. When Ronnie Flippo and the media questioned Atkeson, he cited an out of control beaver population in the Wheeler Refuge as the reason the alligators were needed there. He also scoffed at Flippos concerns that the alligators might pose a danger to the public. Atkeson claimed that there were several alligators already living at Wheeler Refuge so there was no reason for concern. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service admitted to the media, however, that the alligators were released in north Alabama to extend their natural range.

Photo byBirmingham Post-Herald, April 11, 1980 (via newspapers.com)

Flippo was still upset at how the federal government had released a non-native apex predator into the wild in his district in relative secrecy. He accused the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service of violating their internal rules. He based this violation on two points:

• No studies had been done on the environmental impact of introducing a new species to the area and what danger they might pose to humans.
• The public had not been allowed to have any input or notification on the release of the alligators.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior admitted that Flippo was right. They conceded that they had not followed accepted proceedures or their own internal rules in the release of the alligators. Unfortunately, by this time it was late December and the alligators released in June were already deep in hibernation. The best remedy the Department of the Interior could offer was a "gator roundup" in the coming spring. They promised Flippo that they would re-capture the alligators in north Alabama and send them packing back to Louisiana.

Photo byBirmingham Post-Herald June 11, 1980

The first official alligator roundup came in May, 1980. There was a big problem, however. It was under the supervision of Tom Atkeson - the director of the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge who requested the alligators transfer there in the first place. As expected, the roundup saw little success. Only a handful of alligators were captured and returned to Louisiana. It's estimated that 45 to 50 of the alligators remained uncaptured, free to roam and reproduce in north Alabama.

The American alligator was removed from the federal list of endangered animals in 1987. Federal conservationists often take credit for saving the species from extinction, although they rarely mention the mishap at the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. As the alligator population in the Tennessee Valley grows and humans encroach on their habitat, however, will Ronnie Flippo and his concerns for public safety be validated? Only time will tell. One thing is for certain: we do have alligators in the Tennessee Valley and the federal government helped bring them here.

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