Couple with alligators say they're glad to be alive after accident

Lori and Weston Whitt of Ardmore, Ala., are glad to be alive -- and have alligators cared for -- after an accident at 7:03 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 55 south at mile post 96.

In a phone interview with the Southeast Missourian, the Whitts said the people around Cape Girardeau have been wonderful to them. The couple runs two barbecue restaurants in Alabama, and Weston Whitt farms alligators.

The couple was heading home from Stanton, Mo., with four alligators when a car "shot out" in front of them. The alligators were in a trailer they were pulling behind them.

"This man just shot out just like a deer running across the road," Lori Whitt said. "He just shot out in front of me. For us, it was like a roller-coaster ride gone bad. My husband put himself in front of me to try and shield me."

There was a subsequent accident as a result of the one involving the Whitts, but no further details were available on either accident, Cape Girardeau police said.

Vicki Lantz, who owns Lazy L Safari Park with her husband, Todd, said Todd and their son, Caden, retrieved the gators and took them back to the park. As of Sunday evening, the four gators -- two that are 5 or 6 feet long and two that are smaller, probably 3 feet -- are in a heated room in crates, she said.

Lantz said they returned the Whitts' suitcases.

"I know their vehicle is totaled, so they were figuring out what to do on other transportation," she said.

Weston Whitt said they mainly exhibit the alligators at charity events and for children. He said they also work with the Tennessee Valley Zoo in Athens, Ala. Under the law in the state of Alabama, Weston Whitt said, you're not legally able to own an alligator. "The only way is to get an exhibit license," he said.

"I've always had a passion, too, for alligators," Weston Whitt said, adding he likes to show people alligators "aren't that aggressive." He said they don't want to be around people and won't make a move unless someone is in their territory.

Whitt said this incident has helped restore his faith in people.

" ... I was able to see, in person, that there are still good people -- that would be Todd and Vicki at Lazy L Safari Park. They've been great people."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

Interstate 55 and William Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.