Be aware of alligators spotted at Whitehead Lake in Pascagoula

Alligators have been spotted in Pascagoula’s I.G. Levy Memorial Park in Whitehead Lake.

News 25’s Sabria Reid takes us to a mini warehouse right across the street from the alligator sightings.

There are more than just ducks walking around at Whitehead Lake in Pascagoula. Alligators have recently been spotted by neighbors and park visitors, including our camera today.

Across the street from the lake is Mississippi Mini Warehouse. Donna Mitchell has been manager for 13 years and remembers her first alligator sighting. “Somebody called the cops when he came up here and I had missed him coming up until I came out and said ‘Oh, I told you Wayne. I told you.’ I could spot him because the backs of them come out the water.”

The Pascagoula Police Department has put up signs around the lake warning visitors to beware of alligators. Mitchell fears for her safety and the safety of children playing at the park. “I wouldn’t want to see anybody get hurt from an alligator.”

Pascagoula PD has been working with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks to trap and relocate alligators. Mitchell warns her customers to be on the lookout when loading and unloading into the warehouse.

Mitchell says this isn’t the first sighting of alligators at this park and in this area. She says she’s been seeing them as early as 2013.

Mitchell’s daughter, Dawn Weir, is concerned for her mother and her pets. “She has cats and we have ducks and it’s just a real concern, that she’s right there by the ditch when she walks out her door.”

As days get warmed, parks along the Coast begin to fill up with kids and families, but at I.G. Levy Park, visitors need to take extra precaution. “If you come out here it’s a beautiful place to visit, it’s a really nice lake and I just wish they could take care of the problem so people can walk the track and have a relaxing day without worry.”

According to Pascagoula PD, the park is safe to visit and enjoy, but stay away from the edge of the lake to avoid interaction with alligators.