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VERIFY: Are there alligators in Lake Hamilton?

Pictures on social media are causing a stir after people claim it's an alligator... but some are saying it's just a log. We verify.

HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas — A couple staying at Lake Hamilton RV Resort says they saw an alligator in the water on Tuesday, and their pictures were posted online...

Those pictures are causing a stir as some are saying yes it's true and others aren't believing it.

Garland County deputies went to check it out and said they agree it was a gator, so is it true?

Trey Reid with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is our source on the pictures, and he says not so fast.

"These things camouflage themselves as logs a lot of the time, so it's easy to mistake an alligator for a log," said Reid.

Some wildlife division staff from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other law enforcement agencies went out to the lake, but they weren't able to verify anything and didn't see an alligator.

While Reid says the picture could have been a log he says alligators are not out of the realm of possibility. 

"Alligators are native to Arkansas. They've been here longer than people have," says Reid.

"A very populated and busy lake like Lake Hamilton would not be the first place you probably expect to see one, but it's not impossible. We've had a lot of high water lately, so that can send alligators on the move and displace them," says Reid.

We can verify, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish, the pictures floating around on social media are probably just a log. We can also verify it is possible there are some alligators in Lake Hamilton, so keep your eyes peeled.

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