a small caiman sighted along the Charles River in Boston was rescued by experts after causing a sensation on social networks.
The small alligator, spotted along the Charles River in Boston several times this week, has been rescued and brought to safety, wildlife authorities in Boston said Thursday. Massachusetts.
The roughly foot-long crocodile shocked people and became an instant star on social media after confused onlookers took videos of it slithering away. But the animal is not native to Massachusetts and could not survive the harsh New England winter, so the search for the missing alligator began.
A local wildlife educator captured the animal Wednesday night, and it is now waiting for a forever home, officials said.
Whitney Liebermana graduate student at Harvard University, was one of the residents who caught a glimpse of the exotic visitor. He said he notified wildlife authorities when he saw the creature while running to work.
“Yeah, I had to look twice. For a second, I had to check, because alligators aren’t native to Boston waterways, right?” Lieberman said. “I texted my coworkers because I had a meeting in the morning: ‘Hey guys, this is a good excuse to be late for work. There’s an alligator right in front of me and I don’t know what to do.'”.
The animal was in danger due to low temperatures in the Charles, which were 51 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. Alligators prefer temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They are cold-blooded and cannot regulate their own temperature, so they enter a state of torpor and energy saving called brumation to survive colder temperatures.
Joe Kenneywho runs a wildlife education business called Joe’s Craz-zy Critters, captured the alligator, the news agency said. Division of Fishing and Wildlife of Massachusetts in a statement. The state has temporarily authorized Kenney to keep the alligator while it evaluates the best long-term placement for it, the department said.
He added that the appearance of the alligator is still being investigated, but added that it was most likely a pet that escaped or was released intentionally.
“MassWildlife is working closely with Environmental Police to find a safe home for this alligator as an educational animal in a permitted facility. This incident serves as an important reminder that it is not legal to keep alligators or any species of crocodile as pets in Massachusetts,” state herpetologist Mike Jones said in a statement.
Alligators have a history of occasionally showing up in urban areas far from their native ranges. One, nicknamed Chance the Snapper, appeared in Chicago in the summer of 2019 and was eventually caught. Another appeared in the Charles River in the Boston area in 2010.