Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There is a juvenile gator loose in a city park in Harrisburg PA, "Italian Lake", initial reports said 4 - 5 feet but the pic on the news looks like about a 30 inch size. Animal control is attempting to catch it with raw chicken on fish hooks suspended above the water.

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Hrm...hadn't heard of this....That is pretty local...ill have to get out there and check it out -

Poor thing is probably terrified.

Raven -

Thats basicaly the method i was told of when alligators are bow hunted in south Texas and in Louisiana.Basicaly they take weed eater sized fishing line and tie a mongolian sized treble hook to it and tie the line to a nearby tree. They bait the hook with rotten beef spleen and chunck it into the water over night. In the morning the gator haveing swollowed hook and all is pulled to the surface where it is shot with an arrow. Im sure the whole prossess leaves the hunter feeling like a real man. Im a hunter but this aint hunting.
Are the alligators not protected in Pa.? Here in Texas there are a few gators in our public lake and as far as game wardens are concerned they are protected by law and there to stay. Skinner

The Fed only protects alligators in states considered to be the natural range, of which PA would not be one of them.

Bill