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9-foot alligator wanders onto college campus in Mississippi

NATCHEZ, Miss. — An alligator caused a stir by meandering onto the campus of a nursing school in Mississippi.

The Natchez Democrat reports that the 9-foot (2.7-meter) gator appeared Thursday on the Alcorn State University satellite campus in Natchez.

A campus security officer, Lt. Kevin King, says he was out for a walk when he noticed the reptile lying in the shade under a bush.

An restrained alligator lies Thursday, May 24, 2018, outside of the School of Nursing building at the Alcorn State University satellite campus in Natchez, Miss. Wildlife officers wrangled the 9-foot gator into the back of a pickup truck for removal. (Nicole Hester/The Natchez Democrat, via AP)

He called state wildlife officers. They wrangled the alligator into the back of a pickup truck, but only after it thrashed around and hissed at them.

People watched from a distance and snapped photos on their phones.

Natchez is by the Mississippi River, and alligators are common in the area. In 2017, a group of hunters caught a gator that was just over 14 feet (4.3 meters) long.

A 9-foot alligator is restrained by wildlife officers Thursday, May 24, 2018 outside the School of Nursing building on the Alcorn State University satellite campus in Natchez, Miss. Wildlife officers wrangled the 9-foot gator into the back of a pickup truck for removal. (Nicole Hester/The Natchez Democrat via AP)
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