Alligator Found In NY Yard - ecanadanow.com

21 May 2011

A resident in western New York stunned local authorities when he called to report that there was an alligator loose in his yard.

Authorities in the city of Jamestown, New York received the call in the morning about an 3-foot long alligator being loose on a resident’s property. Animal control was able to capture the alligator without any problems. Authorities do not yet know where the alligator came from or how long it had been on the loose in the neighborhood.

Animal experts warn against keeping alligators for pets. People often buy them when they are small, but when they get to big and become dangerous they set them free outside instead of calling the proper authorities. Anybody that has a alligator for a pet and is trying to get rid of it should contact their local animal control agency.

DEC seizes alligator, python from Syracuse home - cnycentral.com

20 May 2011

SYRACUSE -- The state DEC made quite a discovery inside a syracuse home Friday morning.

"Howard," a six-foot-long alligator, and "Sponge bob," an eight-foot-long burmese python, were seized without incident.

DEC officials say Paul Bailey of Massena Street raised the alligator for nine years after buying him from a now-closed pet store on Erie Boulevard.

It was against the law to even sell the alligator.

Officials say, Bailey bought the python off Craigs list two years ago.

The snake is now with a Rochester rehab facility and the alligator will be placed in the Seneca Park Zoo.

Alligator takes a weekend trip to Marco beach - naplesnews.com

May 16 2011

MARCO ISLAND — They’ve turned up in swimming pools, front porches — even a Florida woman’s bathroom earlier this year.

This weekend it was Marco Island’s turn for a reptilian close encounter.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Marco Island police captured a 6-foot alligator Saturday afternoon in the surf in front of the Admiralty House condominium, south of Tigertail Beach. The animal was relocated, FWC spokeswoman Gabriella Ferraro said.

While they don’t live in the Gulf of Mexico, alligators can accidentally find their way there looking for food or a new home as the weather warms, experts say. A trip to the Gulf is more likely when tidal streams and bays are less saline after rainstorms.

An alligator on Marco’s beach thrilled onlookers, including a visitor from Louisville who snapped pictures of the capture.

“I have been coming to Marco Island for 35 years and have never seen this happen,” Joanie Echsner wrote in an email.

Alligator is an unexpected visitor at a local bed & breakfast - winknews.com

16 May 2011

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.- Clift McMahon is used to hosting vacationers at his Port Charlotte bed & breakfast. But early Saturday morning, he and wife Joanne, got the surprise of their career.

"All the sudden I heard a thump thump. I was only five foot from the door. I look over to the door and I couldn't believe my eyes, there was an alligator trying to get into the house," Clift McMahon said on Monday.

After shooing away the 5 foot, 6 inch gator... it decided to take a dip in their gardening pond.

"He tore all the lilies out, he tore the plumbing out, he tore the electrical lighting out of it," McMahon said.

The alligator didn't budge-- instead, it snacked on McMahon's prized Koi fish and sunbathed! Ten hours later, a trapper showed up to remove the uninvited guest.

"We don't discriminate, but this is one we discriminated against. He had to go!" McMahon said.

Turns out, the gator wasn't looking to check out. After an hour fight, McMahon and the trapper caught the critter and released him into a more suitable place to call home. A first--and hopefully last-- rowdy reptile making a stay at the McMahon's.

"No guest like this. All our guests have been pretty nice and tolerable. But this guy was just a little on the intimidating side," McMahon said.

Wildlife officials later released the alligator back into the wild, at the Peace River Canoe Trail in Charlotte County.

Angry Alligator Caught on L.I.E. - msnbc.msn.com

16 May 2011

An agitated adult alligator was discovered and captured by police Monday morning at the height of rush hour on a busy highway on Long Island.

Two drivers spotted the gator on the eastbound lane of the Long Island Expressway between exits 68 and 69, and called 911. Police responded to the call and discovered a moody reptile that was clearly out of its element.

The officers immediately called the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, but managed to contain it with plastic crates.

“It’s not something you hear coming over the radio everyday,” said Suffolk County police spokesman Michael Sharkey. “It’s a little unusual for Suffolk county.”

SPCA chief Roy Gross said the gator is now in custody, but still very dangerous.

“This gator is vicious,” Gross told NBC New York. “It’s more than 3 feet long and has been eating very well. We’re not letting anyone near the gator.”

The gator was located on the south side of the lane and likely ventured up to the road from the woods, police said. Where it came from before that is a mystery.

It was likely purchased as a baby, then abandoned once it became too big to keep, according to Sharkey.

It is illegal to own, possess and abandon wild animals in New York State, including alligators.

The SPCA is offering a $1,000 reward for information on who abandoned it.