DAILY STATESMAN (Dexter, Montana) 21 May 03 See ya later, alligator! (Torie Weber)

Dr. Kyle Ouzts, of Stoddard Animal Clinic, cared for a young alligator confiscated by Dexter Police from a local residence.

A what? Where? It wasn’t found in the city pond, sewers or even the new aquatic center, but in a Dexter residence. On Tuesday, May 13, Dexter police, acting on Dexter’s ordinance against exotic animals, confiscated a young alligator from a residence located at 715 North Elm. Working from a tip, the officials found the reptile being kept in an aquarium. There was only one problem according to the police department, “What do we do with it?” Well, with a little help from a local veterinarian and the Missouri Herpetology Society, that problem was solved. Dr. Kyle M. Ouzts of the Stoddard Animal Clinic was the first to inspect the young male Common American alligator. “He seems to be doing fine,” Ouzts said. “I look him over real well physically and he looks pretty good.” Ouzts estimates that the alligator, which is approximately twelve to fourteen inches long, is between a month and a half to two months old. By the time he is full grown, the predator will reach over 12 feet long and almost 500 pounds. There in lies the problem. Not many people want or can even handle a pet that large, according to Dr. Ouzts.

“There are two major reasons (for not keeping alligators as pets), one is that not many people are able to handle them when they get bigger without getting hurt and the other is that when they get big enough, people turn them loose. Then you have a predator that can be quite dangerous and is no longer afraid of people.” Ouzts explains. “When he is used to people supplying his food and he sees a human, he is going to go to them. They are just not a good pet in terms of being friendly.” Dexter Chief of Police Paul Haulbold couldn’t agree more. Since the inception of the exotic animal ordinance, the police department has confiscated quite a few animals. “We have gotten escaped poisonous snakes and boa constrictors over the years. They pose a threat to the public when they escape or are turned loose - especially to small children,” the chief said. “We have even located constrictor snakes in the same bedroom with small children.” Luckily, for everyone involved, after contacting the Missouri Herpetology Society, a new home was found for the animal. Rod Roots, a volunteer for the organization, which has its headquarters just outside of St. Louis, came to Dexter on Saturday, May 18 to pick up the reptile. The society periodically receives call about unwanted alligators, Roots explained. When they do, volunteers work to find homes for the alligators in places where it is legal to keep exotic animals.

“They always go to homes where people are trained and equipped to care for them,” Roots said. “There are people with big facilities for the adult animals.” Roots says that the young alligators is currently an the Herpetology center until a home can be found and that the animal is doing fine.
See ya later, alligator!

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• MO Press: - W von Papineäu, Fri May 23 18:57:08 2003