07/19/2006
TOWNSEND -- This traffic hazard came with powerful jaws, dozens of sharp teeth and a long, scaly tail.
And it clearly wasn't happy, sitting there in the middle of Old City Road, its mouth strapped shut with electrical tape.
A truck driver first saw the 6-foot reptile sunning itself in the road, in a residential neighborhood off Route 13, at about 11:30 a.m. yesterday, a few feet away from a swampy area near a culvert.
That's when Townsend Police Officer Thadeus Rochette got what surely was the most unusual call of his day: Go get the gator.
It took Rochette and two state Environmental Police officers about 45 minutes to capture the reptile, even with its jaws sealed shut.
"If he had gotten the tape off, we would have had a lot bigger problem," said Rochette, highlighting the obvious. "We probably would have had to shoot it."
The officers said even a swipe of the animal's large claws could cause severe lacerations.
One officer had to hold onto the alligator's tail while the other two tried to get ropes around its neck.
"You try to corner him as fast as you can and try to get lines on him," said Environmental Police Officer Joseph Paolilli Jr.
The alligator hissed as officers moved it into a pickup truck, with one officer carrying its tail and the other carrying its head.
Children and adults from the neighborhood nervously stood next to the pickup and studied the alligator. They jumped back as it flailed around the truck bed, trying to shake free of its restraints.
It is illegal to own an alligator in Massachusetts, though it is legal in New Hampshire, Paolilli said.
Michael Ralbovsky, who owns Rain Forest Reptile Shows in Beverly, said he will take care of the animal for a few weeks before sending it to the St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in Florida.
"That animal can be quite dangerous," Ralbovsky said. "It can be extremely dangerous to a child."
He said releasing an alligator into a residential area is "simply reckless."
Whoever did this "needs to go to jail," he said.
Ralbovsky said the alligator suffered an injury on its mouth, apparently from trying to tear the tape off, and needed a tooth pulled.
He estimated the reptile's age at between 4 and 7 years old.
Police believe someone either dumped the alligator or that it escaped from somewhere locally during a "relocation attempt."
Rochette said it is the first time in 20 years on the force that he has seen an alligator in Townsend.
Paolilli said Environmental Police officers often have to go retrieve escaped or dumped alligators, most commonly around Lowell and Fitchburg. He said he has already picked up two gators in Massachusetts this year.
When he first got word of the gator, Selectman Robert Plamondon said he "thought this was some sort of joke."
Former longtime selectman Peter Collins said that while "far weirder things have happened in Townsend," yesterday's capture is "definitely a point of discussion."
Collins was upset "someone would have a pet like that and then essentially leave it out to die. I hope at some point they find out who it was and punish them appropriately."
Collins said he had just seen pictures of the reptile last night, and praised the officers.
"Hats off to those guys, trying to save the animal before it hurt itself or hurt someone else," he said.
Meanwhile, Townsend police aren't through with their investigation. They want to hear from anyone who recognizes the alligator, said Rochette.
"Anybody who has any information about the owner should contact the Townsend Police Department," Rochette said. "I would love to have a chat with (the owner)."
Link
Linear Mode
