Huge 741.5lb alligator breaks Mississippi record

Another record has been set for the largest alligator in the state of Mississipi - for the third time this year.

The latest record comes just one week after the second of the year.

Beth Trammell of Madison took the title for Mississippi's heaviest alligator with her 723.5lb catch first. She was beaten just an hour later by Dustin Bockman of Vicksburg with a huge 727lb animal.

But this weekend, a new state record was made by hunter Dalco Turner of Gluckstadt, part of the four-person group 'Gatorslayers'.

Ricky Flynt with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks, told WJTV: "This alligator was 13 feet, six and a half inches which ties the length record for an alligator was taken back in 2008.

"[But] This alligator was heavier. It actually weighed 741.5lbs which broke the previous record from last weekend of 727 pounds."

Gatorslayers have been hunting alligators since 2006. Team member Jennifer Ratcliff told WJTV: "This one was kind of aggressive and he was biting the boat. He was a little more aggressive than we've seen, and it's not really like swamp people where we just throw them in the boat. It took six of us to get this alligator in the boat."

According to the Daily Mail, alligators were nearly hunted to extinction in Mississippi in the 1960s, but a successful conservation programme now means the state needs controlled hunting to keep the reptile numbers down.

A select number of people are offered permits each year, and are able to hunt in public waters from 30 August to 9 September.



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