Alligators are pretty cool critters to visit in the zoo or down in the Everglades when you’re on vacation -- far, far away from home. But did you ever think you’d encounter one face to face in your very own backyard?
A Connecticut resident living in the Canoe Brook Lake area did just that.
On Monday, June 15, a resident reported to the local police seeing a small alligator. After searching the lake on Tuesday, they came up empty handed.
The gator came out of hiding on Wednesday and police were able to net the 12-inch baby reptile that was then turned over to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Gators of this size and age are harmless. However, it has a big mama, which is a cause for concern.
A mother alligator will normally remain near her “pod” to defend them from predators until the babies are old enough to hunt on their own.
So is this baby gator just one pea in that pod?
The gator’s new home will be Rainbow Reptiles in Massachusetts, an organization that educates people on reptiles and the importance of preserving their habitats.
Here, it will unite (or reunite!) with South Windsor’s 3-½ ft. gator that was found last March.
Having been hunted to the brink of extinction, alligators have made an incredible comeback in recent years, inhabiting most bodies of water in Florida -- and apparently now in CT!
