Here's another New Orleans image that's begun to circulate. (Travis of Ohio State sent this one in.) Evidently this alligator has just enjoyed a good meal. However, this photo isn't a fake. It appeared in
Der Stern accompanying an article about the many dangers that now exist in New Orleans, and is credited to photographer Marvi Lacar. The photo's caption reads (in English): "An alligator in the church: the 'swamp critters' are an additional danger."
Comments
I did a Google translation of the site with the photo, and it reads (badly):
"A dead alligator was because of the entrance the "roofridge Presbyterian Church". The national guard had shot the animal."
('scuse the language, but that's what it says!)
I was going to say the photo doesn't look fake, but the gator does look dead.
Then I looked at the accompanying article and saw that that's exactly what it says. The National Guard apparently shot the animal and then, for some incomprehensible reason, left it in the entrance area of the First Prebyterian Church.
But, Alex, the article says this happened in Gulfport, Mississippi, not New Orleans.
(P.S. An onscreen ad for "alligator sausage and meat" shows up when I look at this post.)
don't forget handbags! 😛
Hunter: Not true. I had some delicious gator gumbo not long ago.
Jorge: Since disposal of cadavers has been reported as a serious problem in the storm-hit areas, alligators consuming them may be a solution, not another problem.
To clarify, I think that this photograph is real. I think the alligator was shot dead. And I think that shooting it was the RIGHT choice, because it was an extreme danger to the public, and no one was around who could safely transport the creature to a better location. Had the gator been allowed to roam the area, it could well have injured or killed anyone, including a child.
Sadly, many loose wild animals (and domestic animals) had to be destroyed because of the danger they posed to the public at that time.