ATHENS, Mich. — The Wolverine State is becoming better known for alligators this week with two found running loose in mid-Michigan.
The wolverine state is becoming better known for alligators this week.One unfortunately was run over by a car on Thursday.
The other, is being cared for at a sanctuary.
The Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary near Battle Creek brings in about 30 alligators every year from all over the Midwest.
Their newest addition has a much happier ending than Wally did.
"I couldn't believe it...I’d never seen anything like that before in Michigan. At first I thought it was a big snake!"
Barry Wilson found the 47-inch reptile yesterday eating a plant on his Jackson County property.
"I caught it with a big net, put it in the shade, and called 9-1-1."
"Really, an alligator? In Jackson County, an alligator?" exclaimed Jackson County Animal Control Officer Shawn Lutz.
Sheriff's deputies took him to the Jackson County Animal Shelter.
"Then we reached out this morning to the professionals, who actually know how to care for and handle these things and give it a good home," said Lutz.
For anyone who's missing an alligator in the Jackson area, or looking to adopt one...too bad.
Once guys like this come to Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary, they're here for life.
"This is a final destination," said sanctuary owner David Critchlow. "They cannot go back in the wild. My alligators know when you come up to the fence, you bring food. If I put this animal back in the wild, the first thing he's going to do is go find a human being and beg for food."
Just like all of his new buddies, he'll be micro-chipped and put in his new home.
Though you may be surprised to see a gator like him in Michigan, they really aren't all that uncommon.
"We estimate in Michigan alone, there are probably several thousand alligators," said Critchlow.
Wilson says he's lucky to have found him.
"I hope it has a good home after this."
But he doesn't regret taking the gator in for himself.
"I’m not an alligator person for a pet...but if it's a dog, that's a different story."
The alligator sanctuary has more than 140 gators, and it looks like their new kid in town still needs a name.
They are looking for donors that want to help name the gator.
Find out how by clicking on the related link.
Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary does not buy, sell or trade its animals, it takes care of other reptiles too.
The American Alligator (Alligator Mississippensis) is native to the Deep South.
Alligators are "apex predators,” meaning they're at the top of the food chain.
However, humans hunt them for their skin and meat.
Gators prefer to live in swamps and wetlands, where they play an important role in the ecosystem.
Males can grow up to fifteen feet long and females ten feet.
Some male alligators can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds.
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