Reptile & Amphibian Forums

BAY CITY TIMES (Michigan) 30 May 03 Gator chase livens day for Bad Axe police (Amy Bartner)
Just call them The Alligator Hunters.
Although they thought it was a joke, several police officers from the Bad Axe City Police Department answered a call Thursday afternoon at the town's Consumers Energy building about an alligator under a truck in the parking lot.
"Nobody wanted to believe the call," chief of Police John Bodis said. "My wife works at dispatch, and she told me and I said, 'Yeah right.' Everybody thought someone else was pulling a prank on each other."
But when they arrived and saw the 2-foot squirming alligator in the parking lot, they believed it.
"Once it turned out to be a legitimate call, it generated a lot of interest," Bodis said.
After about 10 minutes of chasing the alligator around the parking lot, Bodis said they caught it. It took two to hold it down, and one to tape its mouth shut. Each officer wore "heavy-duty gloves."
"It's not something you just want to go pick up and grab," he said, but on the other hand, "it's not something you want to let loose."
Bodis said he was surprised how fast the alligator ran, but it didn't take long for them to corner it.
"One (police officer) took pictures in case nobody believes it," he said.
Once caught, Bodis called the Department of Natural Resources, who said they couldn't do anything with the reptile since it wasn't native of Michigan.
They contacted a local pet store owner who said he would take care of it before taking it to a larger animal facility in West Branch. The owner estimated the alligator was at least 2 years old.
But catching loose alligators isn't an everyday occurrence, Bodis said, laughing.
"That's a first for here," he said.
Gator chase livens day for Bad Axe police

It took two adults to restrain a 2-foot-long alligator and a third to tape the mouth??????

Must have been very fat! The gator, that is.