ROGERSVILLE – Jay Cornelius knew his family’s donkeys and mules are fearless when it comes to protecting the horses they share a pasture with, but he never dreamed they would take on an alligator.

A man spreading fertilizer on a nearby field found the alligator and called Cornelius.  By Friday morning, the dead gator was the talk of community. Numerous friends and relatives visited the Cornelius family’s farm to photograph the beast.

“Based on the way it was halfway under the fence with its head inside the pasture, I would say one of the mules or donkeys killed it,” Cornelius said.

“I’ve seen them chase coyotes out of the pasture, but never even thought about what they would do if an alligator came into the pasture.”

Chris Thornton, whose family owns the adjoining property, suspects the alligator came from the Tennessee River, which is less than a mile away.

Thornton said the gator might have been living in a pond on his family’s property and was attempting to make its way back to the river when it encountered the mules and donkeys.

The pond is about 150 yards from where the alligator was found.

The fence the alligator was found under separates the Cornelius and Thornton properties.

“Evidently, that alligator didn’t know how mean a mule or donkey can be when they are protecting their herd,” Thornton said.

Jeane Grace, CEO of the Missouri-based International Mule and Donkey Association, said she has never heard of donkeys or mules attacking an alligator, but was not surprised to hear one had.

“Donkeys are very protective. Some people use them to protect sheep from coyotes,” Grace said. “It was the donkeys that killed that alligator. They are meaner than the mules when it comes to protecting other animals.

“The old donkeys evidently got mad when the alligator tried to come into their pasture.”

Thornton’s father, D.C. Thornton, said when he and his son went to eat breakfast at a Rogersville restaurant Friday, people bombarded them with questions about the alligator.

“Everybody was talking about it. It’s highly unusual to have an alligator around here.”

While rare, alligators live in the Shoals, said Vinny Groso, director of Florence Animal Control.

“We get reports from time to time about alligators being seen on the Tennessee River. I’ve seen them out there myself. There was one seen last year in the Elk River, not too far from where this one was found.

“There are several living over at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, but there are probably fewer than 200 in all of north Alabama.”

Grosso said there is no reason to fear the alligators. “They are very reclusive animals. Typically, unless someone is harassing them or the alligator is protecting its nest, they are not going to attack a human. Instead, they are going to do everything they can to try and get away when they see a human.”

Chris Thornton doesn’t plan on taking any chances the next time he and his

6-year-old daughter go fishing in the pond where he suspects the alligator had been living. “I’m going to check the pond out real close to look for alligators before we start fishing. The dead one could have a mate that’s still here. I never thought I would have to worry about running into an alligator when we go fishing.”

Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20090411/ARTICLES/904115016/1011/NEWS?Title=Farm-animal-believed-to-have-killed-alligator.