Chicago says, "See you later, alligator!"

Chicago says, "See you later, alligator!" The next time you feel like dipping your toes in the Chicago River — beware.

A second alligator has been captured from the waterway that winds through downtown Chicago.

Children, parents and dog walkers gathered this week to catch a peek of the 3-foot-long reptile in the river on the city's North Side. It was captured Tuesday.

A Chicago Herpetological Society volunteer also caught a 2 1/2-foot alligator in the river earlier this month. The society wanted to catch the latest alligator quickly because it wouldn't have been able to survive the harsh Chicago winter.

City animal control experts believe both alligators are abandoned pets.

Eight-year-old gator-spotter Caleb Berry said Monday he wasn't afraid of the gray-and-gold scaled alligator because it is "a baby."

Two gators in the Chicago River. One strolling down a Massachusetts street. Another in bustling New York City. And that's just in the past few weeks.

From North Dakota to Indiana, alligators are showing up far from their traditional southern habitats — including a 3-footer captured Tuesday in the Chicago River.

But experts say it's not the latest sign of global warming. Instead the creatures almost certainly were pets that escaped or were dumped by their owners.

"People buy them as pets and then they get too big and at some point they decide they just can't deal with it," said Kent Vliet, an alligator expert from the University of Florida who tracks media reports about the reptiles.

In the past three years, he said, there have been at least 100 instances of alligators showing up in more than 15 states where they're not native. North Carolina is the farthest north that alligators are found naturally, Vliet said.

A 3-foot-long, collar-wearing alligator was found Sunday strolling down a street in Brockton, Mass. On Monday, a 2-foot-long gator was spotted under a car in New York City. In fact, since spring, gators also have been found in Fargo, N.D., eastern Missouri, upstate New York, rural Indiana, Ohio and a Detroit suburb.

 

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- Posted on August 25, 2010

That amazing how does an aligator get into Chicigo and no one got hurt. I wonder where the game and wildlife center took the anfibian.

ouch that's got to hurt if you were swimming and that guy bit you!!! who finds an alligator in the river not me I'm never going swimming in a river creek or anything! what if it tried to bite my toes off or even my head. But i do wonder how it got there and how long it was there. i also wonder if i ever went swimming again if i would find such a surprise as an alligator on my head!!! i really hope alligators are not as mean as every body says they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, reminds me of this summer! An alligator showed up the 2nd day at the house my family was staying it! It was a good 4 or 5 feet long and it snapped my line more than once! When ever I came out and stood at the peer, he came up and just floated there not 2 feet below me! We named him 'Stalker'. XD

Now that I've read this, I'm a bit surprised . Alligators in Chicago? I'm surprised that alligators are moving across the world. I admit I'm a little worried to go swimming in a lake.

That is so cool! I wish I could see an alligator.My mom would probably freak out. I can't wait till I go to the zoo again.

1.The main idea of this story is that there are two alligators strolling around on the streets.
The authors purpose is to tell people to be careful in those cites.
2.The Chicago herpetological society wants to catch the alligators quickly because they new the alligator won't survive.
3.The experts believe that the alligators came from abandoned pets.
4.The place the alligators have been besides Chicago river is North Dakota and Indiana.
5.I think that people would abandon their pet alligators because it is too much work.

1. The main idea is when they catch a big alligator in the Chicago river.
2. They wanted to get the alligator out of there so it would survive the cold winter!!!!!!!!!!!!
3.They are just about posited that it came from the Chicago river.
4.Another place they have been found is New York and Massachusetts.
5.I think people would abandon a pet alligator because it could harm people or even eat other peoples animals.

1. the main idea of this story is there is alligators living in the same habitat as people. the author's purpose for the story is he wants to tell that alligators are living in cities and stuff.
2. because it was getting to cold for the babies and other alligators.
3. i think the experts think it's from the abounded pets.
4. people found alligators under cars and stuff like that.
5. because they were getting to big.

1. The main idea of the story is about alligators that are showing up in cities that their not supposed to be. The purpose of writing this story is that the author wants us to reilize that global warming is hurting the animals.

2. they wanted to catch him quickly because they wanted the alligator to surrvive.

3. they beilieve they came from their owners who let them out in the wild.

4. they have been found in new york, north dakota, and indiana.

5.because they get to big and they cant take care of them anymore and they have no place to keep them in their house.

1 THE MAIN IDEA OF THE STORY IS THAT IN SOME CITIES THERE ARE GATORS WALKING ON THE STREET. THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE IS FOR PEOPLE TO BE CAREFUL
2 THEY WANTED TO CATCH IT FASTER BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT SURVIVE.
3 THE EXPERTS THINK THAT PEOPLE LET THEM LOOSE
4 THEY WERE FOUND IN NEW YORK TO.
5 THINK THAT PEOPLE ABANDONED THERE PET BECAUSE IT WAS TO BIG