E. Ariz. river may have its own Nessie — with plenty of serious teeth

An alligator stalks the townsfolk of a small Eastern Arizona community as they partake of some night fishing along the river behind the Mormon church.

Though no proof of a gator has been found, police and wildlife officials have responded to at least two reports of an alligator roaming the shallow waters of the San Francisco River in Clifton.

"We have not seen or been able to document evidence of an alligator, but we're not discounting it," Arizona Game and Fish Department wildlife manager Devin Skinner said. The sightings have occurred over the past three weeks, and "we just wanted the public to be aware."

According to the Eastern Arizona Courier, a weekly newspaper based in nearby Safford, a 21-year-old town resident has made two reports of seeing an alligator while fishing along the river behind the LDS church on U.S. Highway 191 in Clifton, about 120 miles northeast of Tucson.

"There was no mistaking what it was," Jacob Mitchell told the Courier. "I heard a big splash in the water and saw something that looked like a log. It swam right up to me. The thing looked at me, then swam off."

Mitchell said he called 911 and Clifton police responded. Greenlee County Sheriff's Department officials have also inspected the area, as has Skinner, who said none of the telltale signs of an alligator — footprints, tail tracks, remnants of devoured animals — has been found along the river.

"None of the enforcement officers have been able to see anything," he said.

In case you're wondering, alligators are not indigenous to Arizona. That means if there had been one in the river, Skinner said, it was put there by someone.

"This is not something that would have come into town or swam down" from somewhere else, Skinner said. The San Francisco River connects with the Gila River to the west and the Blue River to the north.

Skinner said if further reports are made, his office will likely continue to investigate, mostly to make sure the area is safe.

If someone does encounter an alligator, he said, there are two simple things that should be done:

"Of course you'd want to stay away from it," Skinner said. "And take a picture of it."