"The whole scenario is sad:" Alligator transferred to wildlife center...but what will they do with it?
SHEBOYGAN (WITI) -- Sheboygan County Sheriff's officials on Sunday, July 20th responded to reports of a baby alligator in a ditch on Indiana Avenue. Sheriff's officials were able to capture the baby alligator -- and it was handed over to the Department of Natural Resources. Now, we've learned it has been turned over to a wildlife center. What's next for the baby alligator is unclear.
It wasn't something Sheboygan officials were expecting to find Sunday morning.
"It's foreign to me. I've never been around it so I don't know how it's going to act," Sheboygan County Sheriff's Deputy Nathan Hatch said.
Someone called law enforcement officials after seeing an alligator crossing the street!
"To a hiker or someone walking in the area, it could definitely be a danger," Deputy Hatch said.
The alligator was captured in a creek bed behind a local business. Officials think the gator either escaped or was abandoned by its owner.
"Obviously, we`d like to find the pet owner and I believe the DNR will be assisting in the investigation," Deputy Hatch said.
The DNR has taken the alligator to the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Fredonia. Experts there say the animal was dehydrated, emaciated and stressed.
"The whole scenario is sad. It`s not a win-win for anybody," Jeannie Lord said.
Lord says they are working to assess the gator's overall condition, age and gender. Lord also points out the sad reality of situations like this.
"You`re setting up animals to die, and presenting them in situations where it`s stressful, fearful. Very few, if any, certified quality zoos or nature centers will admit a species or a patient like this," Lord said.
Lord's advice to anyone thinking about keeping an exotic animal as a pet is simple.
"There's no such thing as a pet wild animal. For small kids and families it's okay to look, to learn -- but leave it. And why would we be putting these animals in a death situation? Because ultimately that's what's going to happen to most of them in this country," Lord said.
What's next for the alligator is unclear. Lord says due to its condition, it cannot stay in a reputable zoo. It isn't meant to be a pet -- and it cannot be returned to the wild because it is not equipped to survive there because it is likely the alligator has spent its entire life in captivity.
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