A 7.5-foot alligator that regularly turned up near the walking trail at Marconi Drive and Allen Toussaint Boulevard in New Orleans City Park has been captured by Louisiana wildlife officials, who confirmed the catch after a resident’s video showed the animal eating food left out for it near the path. Officials say they are now searching for a second, larger alligator believed to be in the same area of the park.
The video, shared by resident Lisa Plaia on August 27, shows the alligator approaching a plate of food set near the trail and eating an unidentified item from it, according to WDSU. Plaia told the station she was concerned about the alligator’s proximity to the walking path and worried for residents who walk their pets nearby. In her post, she warned that feeding alligators endangers pets, people, and the alligators themselves, and noted that alligators which approach humans are often euthanized because they become a community hazard.
Feeding alligators is illegal in City Park, and Plaia’s post directed residents to report anyone feeding or baiting alligators to City Park Police at 504-421-9307. WDSU reached out to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries about the alligator and the feeding concerns, but the agency had not responded by the time of publication.
Why a Fed Gator Often Ends Up Euthanized
The paradox at the center of this incident is a grim one: well-meaning or careless visitors who toss food to an alligator are often setting it up to be killed. Louisiana state law does not explicitly outlaw feeding wild alligators, though the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries strongly cautions against it because the practice strips an alligator of its natural fear of people, according to the Louisiana Radio Network. City Park’s own rules go further, explicitly prohibiting visitors from feeding any wildlife on park grounds, per New Orleans City Park…