We’re taking a look back at one of the world’s largest alligators. In 2014, Mandy Stokes, a mother of two from Alabama, killed the SCI world-record gator, and her achievement is still astounding today. Here’s all you need to know about that world-record-breaking reptile.
Stokes has been a deer and hog hunter for much of his life. Gator hunting, on the other hand, was a new pastime for me. In fact, on her very first gator hunt, she set a world record, which was confirmed by Safari Club International. On Aug. 16, 2014, she tagged an American alligator that measured 15 feet 9 inches long and weighed 1,011.5 pounds, breaking the previous SCI record of 14 feet 8 inches set in Chalk Creek, Texas, in 2008.
The trophy is presently on display at Millers Ferry Powerhouse in Camden, Alabama, on the Alabama River. Stokes describes him as “a sight to behold.” “This is the truth: I ask myself, ‘How in the world did we accomplish it?’ every time I see that alligator mount.” It’s very incredible.”
Stokes described his reaction to the huge gator as “I don’t really know how to express it.” “It just went berserk.” We have a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy, so it’s a full-time job for John and myself. I believe the possibility for a world record is what has piqued people’s interest.
“I never intended to be famous in any manner, but I certainly never imagined it would be because of gator hunting.”
According to Al.com, it took Mandy and her family members, including husband John Stokes, brother-in-law Kevin Jenkins, and his daughters Savannah and Parker, almost five hours to trap the alligator.
Mandy Stokes told the website at the time that the team experienced a gamut of emotions as they staked the animal, battled it, killed it, and then struggled to get it back to shore.
Last August, Mandy Stokes told AL.com, “He came up as calm as he could.” “On Swamp People, that’s the only thing that’s true. This time, as I pressed the trigger, water just poured down on all of us.”
The beast was so large when they eventually pulled him back to dry land that he shattered the winch mechanism utilized by Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries biologists. In the end, a backhoe was required to raise and weigh the reptile.
The remnants of a 3-year-old doe deer, swallowed whole and weighing roughly 100 pounds, two squirrels, a duck, and the remains of a cow or calf were discovered when the alligator was opened.
SCI Master Measurers John Chitwood and Randall Bush were asked to formally measure the alligator once it was realized that it was exceptionally remarkable in terms of size. The gator turned out to be more than “very lovely.” It was the biggest in the world, measuring 15 feet 9 inches long and weighing 1,011.5 pounds.
