Alligator found at food stamp office in Mississippi, igniting jokes about food prices
An alligator showed up outside a food stamp office in Mississippi, and jokes about inflation and food shortages are piling up on social media.
It happened Monday, June 20, and the predator was not happy about being forced to leave.
“In this profession you never know what you will do next,” the Perry County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
“We received a call this morning that an alligator was hanging out near the Food-stamp Office in New Augusta. After making contact with the alligator, (she) became hostile and was taken into custody.”
New Augusta is about 70 miles north of Biloxi.
Photos of the encounter show the young alligator was blinded with a sheet over its head and then its legs were taped behind its back.
The alligator was “a little girl” (around 5 feet) and her eviction came after a call from Perry County Human Services, according to the Perry County Emergency Management Agency.
Deputies joked the gator was charged with disorderly conduct and released on its “own recognizance” into the nearby Pascagoula River.
The Facebook post has gotten hundreds of reactions, with commenters noting it was another sign “times are getting rough.”
“It’s bad when the gators are coming out to get help for food,” Regina D. Buckalew posted.
“Can you blame the gator? Groceries are high these days,” Megan McCarty wrote.
“Dang even the gator want some stamps the way the price of food done went up,” Sabrina Nicole said.
State wildlife experts estimate there are as many as 38,000 alligators in Mississippi, and those less than 8 feet are not considered a danger to humans (“unless it is fed or harassed”). The average size for females is around 8 feet and average for males is around 11 feet, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.
This story was originally published June 21, 2022 at 4:16 AM with the headline "Alligator found at food stamp office in Mississippi, igniting jokes about food prices."