Alligator captured near Sherman Island
By Melissa Murphy/Staff Writer
Article Launched: 06/16/2007 07:22:25 AM PDT
What is believed to be a 4-foot alligator was trapped by wildlife experts. (Courtesy Dept. of Fish and Game)
It was a whale of a tale when two humpbacks ventured up the Sacramento River last month, but what officials discovered Friday in the river had its very own tail ... er, tale to tell.
A 4-foot long alligator was spotted near Sherman Island early Friday morning, lurking in the very waters where the mother and baby humpbacks, dubbed Delta and Dawn, captured media attention for several days in May.
Wildlife officials were sure about where the wayward whales came from but the background of the alligator is a bit more murky. Most likely, officials said, it was someone's pet that either escaped or got dumped.
"We speculate that it probably got too large for the owner," said Cpt. Mark Lucero, with the law enforcement arm of the Department of Fish and Game in Rancho Cordova. He added that there have been no reports of unlawful possession or release.
The gator was spotted at around 9:30 a.m. Friday by a driver on Highway 160. At one point, it was resting on Sherman Island, which is across the Sacramento River from Rio Vista, officials said.
"We really appreciate the diligence of the public to call in," said Kyle Orr, a public information officer for the state Department of Fish and Game.
Shortly after the alligator was
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spotted, Carolyn Doody, a warden with Fish and Game, confirmed that it was, indeed, an alligator, but that it had moved down the levee and was hiding under the exposed roots of a locus tree, Orr said.
With the help of Sacramento Animal Control officials, the animal was captured by 11:30 a.m. without incident, using a catch pole, Orr explained.
The alligator was then transported to the Fish and Game Wild Life Investigations Lab in Rancho Cordova.
"We've had reports, but we've never been able to catch one," Lucero said.
Since alligators aren't native to California, or any West Coast states, the alligator more than likely will be given to a zoo or to a officially permitted organization. For their part, Fish and Game officials said they were pleased with Friday's capture.
"It is a very happy ending," Orr said. "We were able to safely secure it and remove it from where it was located. No one was hurt and it's a testimony to a lot of good decisions."
As for whether the creature was just following the rest of the crowds and looking for the whales?
"It is certainly an odd coincidence and highly unusual," Orr said with a laugh. "The nice part is that they have all left safely."
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