Monster Alligator Caught By Family In Alabama

Weighing the 15ft creature proved a challenge - the first attempt destroyed the winch that measures average catches.

The creature was 15ft (4.5m) long. Pic: Sharon Steinmann/Al.com

A family in Alabama is celebrating the catch of a lifetime - a 15ft (4.5m) alligator weighing more than 1,000 pounds (450kg).

The alligator was caught by Mandy and John Stokes, Mrs Stokes' brother-in-law Kevin Jenkins and his
children, 16-year-old Savannah and 14-year-old Parker.

It took hours to reel the alligator. Pic: Sharon Steinmann/Al.com

The huge creature was pulled from the water by the keen hunters in south Alabama at the weekend during the state's alligator-hunting season, according to local reports.
It is the largest ever legally killed by an Alabama hunter.

Weighing it posed a challenge. Pic: Sharon Steinmann/Al.com

It took the relatives hours to reel the catch in; the alligator was first hooked on Friday night and it was finally pulled in on Saturday morning.
"When I saw the size of the foot on this one, I knew it was a good one," Mrs Stokes told Al.com

It is the largest ever caught in Alabama. Pic: Sharon Steinmann/Al.com

Weighing the animal was not easy - the first attempt reportedly destroyed a winch assembly used to hoist most average alligators.
Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries biologists then used a digger to lift the animal and weigh it.