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Downey, CA… The call came in to SEAACA’s
dispatch center and the shock was apparent on the clerk’s face.
SEAACA Clerk Angie Medina had to repeat “Alligator, are you sure,”
several times to the concerned woman making the report. “The
alligator is walking on the sidewalk in front of my house and kids
will be getting out of school soon,” is what Medina honed in on
while inputting the call into the dispatch computer system. SEAACA
officer Connie Bradford immediately responded to the location – 5700
Autry Ave. in Lakewood.
Upon arrival Officer Bradford saw and confirmed
with her supervisor that she was in-fact following a stray Alligator
on the 5700 block of Autry Ave. in Lakewood. “I’ve must have been
asked 25 times already, is this Reggie,” said Captain Aaron Reyes,
director of operations for SEAACA. “Well, this little fella is
roughly 24 inches long from nose to tail, so I’d say he doesn’t fit
the physical description at the moment,” joked Reyes.
The alligator was impounded and will be housed
at SEAACA until either Fish and Game officials respond or a local
zoo or wildlife organization can be contacted. “The animal is alert,
appears to be in great shape and is not all that happy at the moment
to have been caught,” exclaimed Reyes. “Can you blame him?” “He was
taken from a warm sunny sidewalk while out for a stroll,” Reyes
remarked. It is a violation of law to keep alligators as personal
pets. Violators may be fined or jailed if convicted.
“We’re concerned that this gator is being kept
as a pet and may have siblings living nearby,” said Reyes. “Our
investigators will ask around the neighborhood and try to locate the
owner.” “In the meantime, we hope he behaves himself until we can
re-home him with a licensed wildlife organization or the zoo,” Reyes
stated.
The alligator has been initially described as
being five to twelve months old, 24” long, alert and in good health.
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Animal
Law Enforcement & Rescue
