Alligators Appearing in the American River

SACRAMENTO — In the first recent sighting of the season, gators are becoming more common in the American River.

Around 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, a Sacramento Special Reporter (Ms. Granton) was walking with her dog in a remote area of the American River where the water is low.

She noticed some movement behind her. She turned around and noticed four large alligators swimming in the river.

The animal expert who lives nearby told Ms. Granton there has been sightings on the American River in the past but they are rarely seen this early in the year.

The alligator expert warned Ms. Granton and her dog to not go near them.

“If you see it, they are going to bite you,” said Steve Stanton, the alligator expert.

He suggested the alligators could be migrating out of the water and headed for the wild food source.

“They are just going to go from place to place to place. What is happening is the water is lowering and they are going to start to find it harder to live in the water,” he said.

Ms. Granton could not believe the gators were swimming in the rivers so soon after winter.

“I never thought I would see this,” said Granton.

We reached out to the Sacramento Area Parks and Recreation to see if there are any signs of the reptiles in the river but were told no one is aware of any sighting so far this year.

“It is a cool thing that they are able to stay alive in Sacramento this long,” said Stanton.

Still, Granton won't be sticking around to find out. "I think the dog and I are going to go on a hike and try to find a way out of here," she said.

According to gator experts, this is the earliest they have ever seen the gators in the river.