KOKH (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) 22 October 13 Alligator brought to parking lot of kids' store for illegal sale (Phil Cross)
Oklahoma City: Oklahoma law requires reptile lovers to get a permit before they purchase native species. Those permit rules include many different kind of rattlesnakes that you can find all around Oklahoma, but that didn't stop people from offering to sell us those same snakes with no mention of permits.
During our undercover investigation at Oklahoma reptile shows we found several offers to sell or to be introduced to the sellers of illegal reptiles, but the most shocking offer was for a reptile that is strictly off-limits to almost anyone in Oklahoma.
It only took a few phone calls before we found ourselves in a parking lot situated between a "Toys-R-Us" and a "Baby Depot." We were waiting there when the man who was helping his friend sell his illegal reptile pulled up. That is when we came face-to-face with a juvenile American Alligator.
Oklahoma laws are very clear about alligators. You can't have one without the proper permits and proof you have a safe place to keep one.
This alligator was just 3-feet long, but already had a powerful tail and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The man meeting us says the alligator had never bit anyone, but said full grown it could reach lengths exceeding 10 feet.
The man told us his friend owned the alligator and was using him as a middle man because he was concerned about selling the reptile he knew was illegal in Oklahoma. It would be later we learned that man bought the alligator out of state and imported it illegally.
We did not buy the alligator that would be breaking the law. Instead we let the alligator be put back into its container and we got out our camera to interview the middle man. He was surprised to learn we were with a television news station, but agreed to an interview as long as we did not identify him by name.
The middle man told us his friend knew he needed a permit to keep the alligator. He said the gator had survived an Oklahoma winter outside with just a little heated water. The man said his friend was moving and could not take the alligator with him so he was trying to get rid of it fast.
The middle man admitted he had a venomous snake that himself that he was in the process of getting permits for. He said he believed that reptile dealers did need to be more cautious about making sure buyers had the proper permits. The man said underground sales of illegal reptiles are common and he doesn't like it. "I don't like how they bounce back and forth from house to house, you see them on Craigslist," the man told Fox 25.
"It's a ticking time bomb," said Jack Hanna, the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, when we showed him the results of our undercover investigation, "When it gets bigger it's still a wild animal."
Hanna was making a stop in Oklahoma supporting conservation efforts in the state. He said he supports an animal lover's right to own exotic, but says people should only purchase something they are prepared to take care of and able to properly provide for.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife is responsible for investigating illegal reptile sales. Fox 25 contacted the department prior to beginning our investigation and made several offers to allow game wardens to take part in the story, but our offers were declined.
One game warden says the state routinely investigates these sorts of sales and is still trying to track down the alligator supplier. Game wardens say their investigations take time, but they are working to crack down on these black market reptile sales.
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