Current:Home > MarketsAlligator spotted in Lake Erie? Officials investigate claim. -TrueNorth Finance Path
Alligator spotted in Lake Erie? Officials investigate claim.
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:32:40
What started out as a relaxing Sunday on Lake Erie turned into a moment of panic in Pennsylvania.
Erie resident Stina Roach said she was on the lake when she was approached by a man yelling for the kids to get out of the water.
The man then pointed out something about 20 to 30 yards out on the lake. When Roach pulled out her phone to zoom in, she discovered what seemed to be an alligator that was approximately 4 to 6 feet long. (While common in the South, alligators can't survive winters in the Great Lakes.)
"At first I thought it was fake," Roach said. "But then we saw the tail and body. It was kind of scary.”
Roach turned to the nonemergency line for the police and contacted the nearby bait shop, Presque Isle Angler, near the foot of East Avenue. A Presque Isle Angler employee then reached out to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission.
“I really hope action is taken because they are not supposed to be in the lake and I don’t want it to die or get hurt or hurt somebody," Roach said.
Otters at Presque Isle:River otter sightings increase at Presque Isle State Park as pair makes peninsula home
What we know
The Fish and Boat Commission contacted animal trapper Paul Kaiser from Best Wildlife Services, a wildlife removal business, to excavate the alleged alligator.
Kaiser contacted the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority to discuss placing traps for the alleged alligator near the former Erie Coke Plant at 925 East Bay Drive.
"Our concern is making sure that the public is safe," said Julie Slomski, the Port Authority's executive director. "Hopefully, this alligator is safe wherever it may be."
If the alligator turns out to be fake, such as a toy, Slomski said the Port Authority would look into it and would be disappointed based on efforts taken.
"We're thankful that folks are communicating on what they saw and heard," said Slomski, who was first alerted to the sighting on Facebook. "... we're working on connecting with the Fish and Boat Commission to really understand the situation."
Not normal:A shark in the Great Lakes isn't quite impossible. One odd species got as far as Illinois.
About alligators
Erie Zoo Director of Development Scott Mitchell and Kaiser believe the alligator, if real, likely was an exotic domestic pet that could have been released into Lake Erie.
“(Alligators) are pretty wide spread," Mitchell said. "They are found through most of the southern U.S. and as far north as North Carolina, every county in Florida and as far west as central Texas.”
Mitchell said if the alligator is not captured before winter, there won't be any chance of it surviving.
“They wouldn’t survive a winter here," Mitchell said. "That’s the unfortunate thing with this alligator if it’s not captured, it will die. They can handle some colder temperatures. They can’t last long unless it’s a very, very mild winter, there’s no chance it can survive a winter here."
If an alligator approaches land
Mitchell said an alligator could resurface, especially if seeking food.
"It could come on shore to eat," Mitchell said. "Depending on how big it is, they eat a range of things. They will start off small with tadpoles and frogs and then eventually anything they can get their mouth on, including mammals and birds and anything they can capture."
Alligators, depending on their sex, can get from 11 feet to 14 feet in size. They can outrun a small dog and can pop up on shore quickly.
Mitchell advised, if encountering an alligator on land, stay away and call officials, including the state game commission.
Other exotic animals in Lake Erie
There have been other instances of exotic reptiles and nonnative animals making an appearance in Lake Erie.
'Definitely a fish of a lifetime':Erie angler catches 'unicorn' species for Lake Erie
"Unfortunately, there have been instances," Mitchell said. "Quite often they are reptiles; you hear stories of snakes being released out on Presque Isle. (People) buy these baby alligators where you don’t need a huge tank to take care of them, but in not too long period of time they get big and outgrow the tanks.
"Same thing with snakes. People buy them young and then realize this thing is going to get to five to six feet long and they don’t have room anymore, so they get released into the wild which becomes a death sentence for the animal because it won’t survive..."
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com.
veryGood! (79591)
Related
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Baltimore Orioles calling up Jackson Holliday, baseball's No. 1 prospect
- Maine’s Democratic governor vetoes bid to end ‘three strikes’ law for petty theft
- 'Game of Thrones' star Kit Harington says Jon Snow spinoff is no longer in the works
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- New WIC rules include more money for fruits and vegetables for low-income families
- Texas Attorney General sues to stop guaranteed income program for Houston-area residents
- Former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico pleads not guilty in federal fraud case
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- Democrats pounce on Arizona abortion ruling and say it could help them in November’s election
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- FAA investigating Boeing whistleblower claims about 787 Dreamliner
- Tara VanDerveer retires as Stanford women’s hoops coach after setting NCAA wins record this year
- New EPA rule says over 200 US chemical plants must reduce toxic emissions linked to cancer
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Another Trump delay effort in hush money trial rejected, but judicial panel will take up appeal during trial
- My job is classified as salaried, nonexempt: What does that mean? Ask HR
- Jay Leno Granted Conservatorship of Wife Mavis Leno After Her Dementia Diagnosis
Recommendation
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Real Madrid and Man City draw 3-3 in frantic 1st leg of Champions League quarterfinals at Bernabeu
EU lawmakers will decide on migration law overhaul, hoping to deprive the far-right of votes
Former high-ranking Democratic legislator in New Mexico pleads not guilty in federal fraud case
Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
Sophia Bush Says She’s “Happier Than Ever” After Personal Journey
Off-duty officer charged with murder after shooting man in South Carolina parking lot, agents say
Water charity warns Paris Olympic swimmers face alarming levels of dangerous bacteria in Seine river