Angler's alligator catch likely stolen in '15, Hot Springs owner says

HOT SPRINGS -- A fisherman landed an unusual catch Tuesday night on Lake Hamilton when he netted a small alligator that the owner of a Hot Springs tourist attraction believes could have been one stolen from his business last year.

Eric Couch of Hot Springs said he was fishing in a tournament with his friend, Billy Morgan, when he found the alligator, which appeared to be about 18 inches long, in an area along Little Mazarn Creek.

Couch said they weren't too far up the creek when he spotted it "just sitting in the water" on the outside of a rock wall, noting there were "houses all around in that area."

"I saw eyes glowing and thought it was a snake at first, but then noticed it was an alligator," he said. "We tried to net it, but it swam off and I thought it was gone. Then I saw it again on the bank."

He said they were able to get the alligator in their net but that it got loose in the boat, so he finally picked it up by the tail.

"I would love to have kept it if I could," he said, but they decided to call authorities.

Couch said they tried to get in touch with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission officials but couldn't reach anyone. They finally called 911 and talked to a dispatcher who said she would call them back.

"About 15 or 20 minutes later, she called back and told us to throw it back in the water," Couch said. "She said she was told there were several in Lake Hamilton, so we let it go."

Jamie Bridges, manager of the Arkansas Alligator Farm and Petting Zoo, said Wednesday he believes the alligator was one of 13 stolen on Aug. 15, 2015, from the business located at 847 Whittington Ave.

"It was one of ours, I'm sure of it. It had to be," Bridges said Wednesday. "There aren't any gators breeding in Lake Hamilton. If there were big gators in the lake people would be seeing them and their nests."

Bridges said if it had been recovered, it would have been the fourth one found since the theft. Two were found and returned to the business, and one was found dead in the roadway where it was struck by a passing vehicle.

"I wish we could have got it back," he said. Bridges said the size of the alligator found Tuesday night would be "about right" to be one of the smaller ones stolen.

Couch said he saw an alligator 4 to 5 feet long on Lake Hamilton last summer in the main channel near the U.S. 70 west bridge.

Bridges said security footage from his alligator farm showed two people wearing masks and camouflage clothing breaking into the business at 2:40 a.m., Aug. 15, 2015, and placing the 13 alligators in backpacks before leaving, all in less than three minutes.

Twelve of the alligators were younger than a year old and measured between 12 and 18 inches long. The other alligator was 7 years old and measured 21/2 to 3 feet long, Bridges said.

Keith Stephens, chief of communications for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said Wednesday Couch should not have picked up the alligator when he found it.

"We don't encourage people to pick up wild animals," Stephens said. "Admire them from afar and leave them alone. It is illegal to possess or catch them outside of alligator season."

Alligator hunting season is Sept. 18-21 and Sept. 25-28. The fines for possessing or hunting alligators out of season range from $250 to $2,500.

Judging from its size, Stephens estimated that the alligator Couch found could have been 2 years old, but he said it's difficult to judge its age without examining it.

Stephens said it isn't uncommon for the commission to get calls about nuisance alligators that crawl into yards and get too close to houses or pets.

"Some people feed them and they continue to come up to the home and can become aggressive," Stephens said. "We preach to people all the time to leave them alone."

State Desk on 05/26/2016

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