Alligator Walked 20 Feet From Stockroom to Counter at NC Bagel Shop

A 3-foot-long alligator walked into a bagel shop in Southport, North Carolina, on Thursday.

The reptile entered through the back door of Bagel Dock Express and moved to the front counter.

Surveillance cameras recorded the animal passing through the stockroom and startling staff and customers.

One customer grabbed a chair to defend himself against the intruder.

Jesse Driscoll, the shop owner, was installing a new oven when the alligator arrived.

Driscoll told a local news outlet that he never expected to see an alligator inside the business.

"You can see lots of things. People coming in. Friends coming in to say hi. But never in a million years did I think I’d see an alligator," Driscoll said.

Southport police and animal protective services removed the animal later that afternoon.

The department stated that officers and APS Officer Ward captured and relocated the gator.

The animal was likely a federally protected American alligator.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission warned coastal residents not to feed alligators earlier this year.

Biologists with the state wildlife helpline reported receiving several calls per day about public encounters during mating season this year. "People feeding alligators ultimately leads to those animals seeing humans as a potential source for food," said John Henry Harrelson, a wildlife management district biologist. "Naturally alligators are shy, but through feeding, alligators can lose their fear of humans and that leads to a possible negative interaction between people and wildlife." "The state created a checklist called GatorWise to guide residents on how to behave around the animals. "The list advises people to never feed alligators and to keep food scraps out of water. "Bagel Dock Express shared the incident on social media, noting that word of their fresh bagels had reached the swamp.