shrap
Freelance Philosopher
WHITE RIVER TOWNSHIP, Ind. -- Wildlife officials say a 4 1/2-foot-long alligator found near an upscale subdivision in Johnson County is most likely an abandoned pet.
"A lot of people just find out that an alligator is more trouble when it's getting to be 3 or 4 feet long than it was when it was just a few inches," said Russ Grunden, Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman, adding that his office fields about two calls a year on live alligators.
"It's not unusual for it to happen around the state from time to time," he said.
A resident of the Berkshire subdivision told Johnson County deputies about the reptile Monday after concluding what he first thought was a snapping turtle in a retention pond was actually something else.
Johnson County animal control officers and deputies worked almost five hours to catch the 50-pound alligator, native to Florida or the Gulf Coast. A dose of tranquilizers shot into the gator's belly led to its capture about 11 p.m. Monday, said Johnson County Animal Control Warden Shawn Donovan.
Tuesday, the alligator was resting in a double-fenced cage at the animal shelter in Franklin, awaiting transport to a wildlife education service that makes appearances at schools and other locations in Indiana.
"He had aggressively opened his mouth when he was close to us," Donovan said. The hunt reminded him of popular TV personality Steve Irwin -- Crikey! -- who is featured on Animal Planet's "The Crocodile Hunter."
Donovan said one officer was sitting on the alligator, and it was strong enough to raise its back and lift the officer off the ground.
Tim Williams knows firsthand about the power alligators can pack. He's the dean of "gator wrestling" at Gatorland, a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve in Orlando, Fla.
He said a 41/2-foot-long alligator could pack a powerful bite and an equally bad disposition. "It's not an animal you want to trust."
Alligators are legal pets in Indiana but require a permit from the DNR after reaching five feet.
Angela Lennox, a veterinarian and owner of the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic on the Far Northside, said few owners end up keeping their alligators. They cost too much -- feedings require whole prey with bones and skin -- and it's difficult to keep them warm year-round.
"Almost everyone we know that has them ultimately calls us to find out how to get rid of them," Lennox said.
Kristi Pheifer, 32, who lives a few homes away from the retention pond, was shocked to learn about the reptile.
"Not in my lifetime did I expect anything like that," said Pheifer, as she corralled her two children, 5 and 3. "At least not in Indiana."
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050810/NEWS01/508100486
"A lot of people just find out that an alligator is more trouble when it's getting to be 3 or 4 feet long than it was when it was just a few inches," said Russ Grunden, Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokesman, adding that his office fields about two calls a year on live alligators.
"It's not unusual for it to happen around the state from time to time," he said.
A resident of the Berkshire subdivision told Johnson County deputies about the reptile Monday after concluding what he first thought was a snapping turtle in a retention pond was actually something else.
Johnson County animal control officers and deputies worked almost five hours to catch the 50-pound alligator, native to Florida or the Gulf Coast. A dose of tranquilizers shot into the gator's belly led to its capture about 11 p.m. Monday, said Johnson County Animal Control Warden Shawn Donovan.
Tuesday, the alligator was resting in a double-fenced cage at the animal shelter in Franklin, awaiting transport to a wildlife education service that makes appearances at schools and other locations in Indiana.
"He had aggressively opened his mouth when he was close to us," Donovan said. The hunt reminded him of popular TV personality Steve Irwin -- Crikey! -- who is featured on Animal Planet's "The Crocodile Hunter."
Donovan said one officer was sitting on the alligator, and it was strong enough to raise its back and lift the officer off the ground.
Tim Williams knows firsthand about the power alligators can pack. He's the dean of "gator wrestling" at Gatorland, a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve in Orlando, Fla.
He said a 41/2-foot-long alligator could pack a powerful bite and an equally bad disposition. "It's not an animal you want to trust."
Alligators are legal pets in Indiana but require a permit from the DNR after reaching five feet.
Angela Lennox, a veterinarian and owner of the Avian and Exotic Animal Clinic on the Far Northside, said few owners end up keeping their alligators. They cost too much -- feedings require whole prey with bones and skin -- and it's difficult to keep them warm year-round.
"Almost everyone we know that has them ultimately calls us to find out how to get rid of them," Lennox said.
Kristi Pheifer, 32, who lives a few homes away from the retention pond, was shocked to learn about the reptile.
"Not in my lifetime did I expect anything like that," said Pheifer, as she corralled her two children, 5 and 3. "At least not in Indiana."
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050810/NEWS01/508100486
