{"id":637,"date":"2026-05-28T16:08:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=637"},"modified":"2026-05-28T16:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T16:08:46","slug":"young-alligator-shows-up-in-nc-mans-pool-and-refuses-to-leave-hes-got-dibs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=637","title":{"rendered":"Young alligator shows up in NC man\u2019s pool and refuses to leave. \u2018He\u2019s got dibs\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A swimming pool may be one of the worst places to encounter an alligator, but J.D. Leipold couldn\u2019t help but be amused when the apex predator in his pool proved to be just 3-feet long.<\/p>\n

Read more This bustling area of Lexington will get a new restaurant. Check out where<\/a><\/p>\n

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The unusual discovery was made early Wednesday in Brunswick County, and comes at a time when eastern North Carolina\u2019s alligator population begins a dramatic seasonal shift.<\/p>\n

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This is when the big ones start searching for mates, and the smaller ones try their best not to be eaten by the bigger ones, experts say.<\/p>\n

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The end result is alligators in yards, under cars, stuck in drainage pipes, and paddling around backyard pools like the one belonging to 73-year-old Leipold, a retired journalist.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy morning routine is to get up, make coffee and look out back window. And, lo and behold, this morning I see an alligator floating around in the pool,\u201d Leipold told The Charlotte Observer on May 27.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI was pretty shocked. Since then, he\u2019s been getting out to sun himself on the deck, then going back in the water when he feels like it. I was going to go for a swim, but he\u2019s got dibs.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is accustomed to strange alligator problems, and was ready with advice when Leipold called: \u201cSpray it with a water hose.\u201d<\/p>\n

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However, Leipold decided to take a different approach. \u201cI\u2019m waiting to see if he leaves on his own. He\u2019ll eventually realize there\u2019s no food in the pool and go back to his mother,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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So far, the gator hasn\u2019t taken the hint.<\/p>\n

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Alligators in love<\/h2>\n

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May through June is mating season for North Carolina\u2019s alligators, and it\u2019s also the time when humans start recreating in coastal areas where alligators thrive.<\/p>\n

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As a result, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is \u201ccurrently receiving several calls per day as public encounters with alligators increase,\u201d according to a May 27 news release.<\/p>\n

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John Henry Harrelson is a Wildlife Management District Biologist who covers nine counties in the southern Coastal Plain, and he says four to five alligators are found each summer in Brunswick County swimming pools. And those are just the ones that couldn\u2019t find their way out of the pool, he says.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJuvenile alligators (2 to 3 years old) get pushed out by mother\u2019s and encouraged to disperse during this time of year to avoid conflicts with courting males. Adult males often kill juveniles during breeding season,\u201d Harrelson says, noting the small ones are dangerous, too.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFolks think because the alligator is small, they can handle the situation and take matters into their own hands. All alligators will bite, and they all hurt when they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Harrelson has spent a decade in his current role with the state, and he says alligators are becoming less fearful of humans. That\u2019s likely due to the predators learning to associate humans with a free food, he says. Feeding alligators is illegal in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

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\u201cCommunities are reaching out to us concerned about animals that are approaching or being \u2018aggressive\u2019 towards humans. Most of these behaviors are directly linked to animals being fed by people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more This bustling area of Lexington will get a new restaurant. Check out where<\/a><\/p>\n

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Return of the pool gator<\/h2>\n

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Leipold lives in St. James Plantation near Southport, which is home to alligators in the 12 to 13-foot range.<\/p>\n

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A fence was constructed to keep such monsters out of Leipold\u2019s backyard, but there\u2019s a 5-inch gap in the perimeter that is a perfect fit for a 3-foot alligator, he says.<\/p>\n

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The little squatter vanished from the yard midday Wednesday, giving Leipold the sense he\u2019d triumphed.<\/p>\n

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However, it returned later that day, and even took advantage of pool lights to go for a dip in the dark, photos show.<\/p>\n

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Leipold continues to assume it will realize the accommodations don\u2019t include a buffet and move on. Or maybe it will get too plump to fit through the gap in the fence.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t mind sharing a pool with him, but something will have to be done as he gets bigger. I don\u2019t want him terrorizing the neighborhood,\u201d Leipold said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe\u2019s looking through the screen doors at me right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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St. James Plantation is a golfing community about a 160-mile drive southeast from uptown Raleigh.<\/p>\n

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