alligators in michigan...

grumblescat · Post by **grumblescat** » Jun 27, 2008 4:55 am

Do any of you locals (Lenawee County) recall seeing an article in the Adrian paper about an alligator found in
Adrian? It was about March of last year.
It was a fairly large (4 1/2 ft) american alligator. It was trotting down riverside ave near springbrook ave. We figured someone had it, it got too big, & they tried to dump it in lake adrian, but it didn't go down the hill to the lake like it was supposed to. An ambulance crew leaving the hospital spotted it & called it in.
I went & fetched it, then spent 4 hours on the phone trying to get rid of it. They are federally protected, & the feds I talked to said they didn't have a protocol for alligators in Michigan. I asked them to hurry up & invent one...they weren't much help.
I finally conned the Detroit zoo into taking it off of my hands, but they weren't thrilled about it, even though I delivered it personally. They told me not to be bringing them any more alligators. I told them I didn't think it would be a problem, it's not like they are numerous in Michigan.
I thank God that the critter didn't end up in Lake Adrian, it was big enough to eat a young child or pets...that would have been a disaster. It wouldn't have made it through a michigan winter, but it would have terrorized the lake all summer.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jun 27, 2008 3:33 pm

Holy cow! How did you handle the thing! Seems to me that some wildlife division in Michigan WOULD have a protocol for odd situations like this....or at least know who else to contact about it.
You did a good thing, but I sure hope you don't run across any more.

Mary Ann · Post by **Mary Ann** » Jun 27, 2008 3:46 pm

A 4' alligator was captured last week from a drainage pond near downtown Chicago. An alligator handler and his son pulled it out, showed it off, and it is being transported to Florida.

grumblescat · Post by **grumblescat** » Jun 28, 2008 2:09 am

The thing of it is....I am the "expert" around here. I have actually had training on a live alligator (& rattlesnakes, & constrictors, etc), I just don't run across them that often.

A couple of years ago, I had a captain from the St.Clair Shores PD call me & ask me to help them with a cougar on the loose. Don't even get me going on cougars, sigh, that is a loaded subject. Yes, I have seen some, & I've dealt with livestock kills that had to be either cougar or bear in origin, & there weren't any bear footprints at the scene of the kills.

petal*pusher · Post by **petal*pusher** » Jun 29, 2008 2:24 pm

Yup! I remember reading this in The Daily Telegram!

Crazy peoples out there who like to have somethin' "unique"...but don't know what to do with it! Bet we have some other strange stuff around here too! (well, I guess the WWII bomb found in the ditch was pretty strange!)

I remember quite a while back when our Chris posted some pics of footprints he found on their property that looked exactly like COUGAR! I certainly believe they ARE in this area....most around here think the same.

Now.....that elusive Big Foot....................p