SOUTHERN ILLINOISAN (Carbondale, Illinois) 16 September 04 See Ya Later, Alligator: Officials Find 5-Foot Reptile In Royalton Yard (Becky Malkovich)
Royalton: Franklin County Animal Control Supervisor Jarrett Broy knows to expect the unexpected when he and his officers go out on a call.
After all, in the past, Broy and company have hunted an elusive monitor lizard at Lake Moses, rescued a goat from Interstate 57, discovered methamphetamine users and makers when responding to a call about pit bulls on the loose and, in Broy's case, underwent a series of shots after being bitten by a rabid bat recently.
However, a tip from a concerned Royalton resident Monday may have led to the most bizarre call of all.
"The caller said there was an alligator at a house in Royalton and the caller was concerned about the safety of the children in the neighborhood," Broy said. "At first, I wasn't sure whether to believe it, but the more I listened, the more I believed. I finally said, 'You've seen it, haven't you?' and the caller said 'Yes, sir, I have.'"
So Broy and animal control officer Nathan Reed headed to 115 N. Fairdale St. in Royalton, the home of Thomas Marler. There they discovered not only a five-foot-long American alligator but a Lockport man wanted by the military for wartime desertion.
The deserter was discovered by Royalton Police Chief Denny Bush, who came to the scene at Broy's request. "I rounded everybody up and started running routine checks on them. I got a hit on one of the names -- Joshua Michael Irizarry -- he was wanted on a warrant for military desertion," Bush said.
Irizarry, 18, was transported by Zeigler police to the Franklin County Jail where he is being held for military authorities.
Bush stayed on the scene to help Broy, Reed and Jerry Hiller and Scott Ballard of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as alligator wrangling attempts began in earnest.
"If you'd have told me Monday morning that I'd be alligator wrestling before the day was through," Bush said, "I'd have thought you were crazy."
The alligator was living in a wooden enclosure that was connected to the residence's garage. Broy said what appeared to be a hot tub was sunk into the ground and was filled with about 41/2 feet of "stagnant water. You couldn't even see through it," Broy said. The water was also littered with broken turtle shells.
"I guess they'd been feeding it turtles. It would crack the shells to get at the meat," Broy said.
A sump pump located next to the hot tub was used to drain about two feet of water from the tub. "That way, the alligator couldn't dive," he said.
Broy was impressed by what he saw next as Ballard tangled with the alligator.
"The Crocodile Hunter's got nothing on him," Broy said. "He knew exactly what he was doing -- very, very professional. And what really impressed me most was how Scott was most concerned with the welfare and well-being of the alligator. He wanted to make sure it was all right."
Wearing chest waders, Ballard entered the tub. "He found the alligator with his feet, then he'd reach down and try and grab its tail," Bush said.
Once Ballard got a good grip on the alligator's tail, the others "got Scott by the shoulders and lifted him completely out of the water" and set Ballard, still holding the 'gator, to the side of the tub, Broy said.
"Once they cleared the pool, the fight was on" Bush said.
Ballard had to control the alligator, estimated to weigh about 80 pounds, while Reed and Broy attempted to tape the 'gator's mouth shut -- a job easier said than done, Broy said.
"Scott dove on it and we kept trying to tape its mouth, but the tape either kept tearing or wouldn't stick. We were kidding Scott, asking where he got his tape," Broy said. Ballard said his successful hunting expedition was because of "experience and luck."
Before they loaded the alligator into the back of Ballard's truck, Broy, Bush and Hiller posed for pictures with their conquest. "You can't imagine that thing's tail," Broy said. "He was wanting me to turn him loose, so he'd pop me in the back -- just laying it on me. Wham, wham, wham. My back is so sore."
More surprises awaited the 'gator hunters as they entered the residence after securing a consent to search.
"Instead of pictures on the walls, they had 'coon skins, squirrel skins, the skull of a great blue heron, you name it," Broy said.
The group also discovered cages for large snakes, Broy said, and a room "full of rats and mice, and I mean full of them -- beaucoups of them."
No snakes were found, although Broy said a long strip of paper ran across the top of the refrigerator with a toll-free number to call if bitten by a venomous snake.
Hiller, a conservation police officer with IDNR, seized several squirrels that were discovered in cages at the residence. "You can't retain live wildlife," Hiller said.
Marler, the owner of both the property and the alligator, could be charged with possession of a threatened species for having the alligator in captivity.
Ballard said the American alligator is a federally listed threatened species, which means that, like the bald eagle, the species is protected everywhere. To keep the alligator in captivity, Marler would have needed a permit, which, Ballard said, he did not have.
Alligators are not pet-quality animals, he said, although of the three crocodilians that can be found in the United States -- the American, caiman and crocodile -- the American has the best disposition.
"They are not aggressive toward people, however, if cornered, they can be defensive. They have a brain the size of a pea, they are not real intelligent, but they are very strong ... solid muscle. They can grow 8 to 10 inches a year and the larger they get, the less tolerant of people they are. They do not make good pets."
In fact, he said, anyone considering getting a reptile for a pet should "do a lot of research before acquiring one. Don't buy on impulse."
The alligator, which Ballard estimates to be between 5 and 10 years old, is being kept at an IDNR holding facility until the case is resolved. After that, the alligator will either be sent to a zoo or an alligator farm. It could also be used for educational purposes. Whatever the case, Ballard said, the 'gator will not be euthanized.
Officials Find 5-Foot Reptile In Royalton Yard