Look but don鈥檛 touch.
That鈥檚 what 青青草视频 officials are asking of students and onlookers eager to catch a glimpse of a mama alligator guarding a nest of eggs on campus.
She laid the eggs close to a sidewalk bordering Cypress Lake, which is actually a wetland managed by the University.
The area鈥檚 been closed off for the gator鈥檚 safety and to protect the eggs, said Joey Pons, director of Environmental Health and Safety at UL Lafayette.
He consulted with Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officials, who assured him the alligator can鈥檛 bite through a chain link fence it is nested behind.
鈥淔or safety鈥檚 sake, because it鈥檚 so close to a high traffic area, we called wildlife officials and they鈥檝e assured us she won鈥檛 get aggressive unless provoked or threatened,鈥 Pons said.
鈥淲e just ask that onlookers respect the natural process.鈥
Pons estimated the eggs, first noticed last week, should hatch in about seven weeks.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not sure how many there are, but wildlife officials said there could be as many as 100 here and it takes 60 days for the eggs to incubate.鈥