Alligator found in Chicago River

An alligator was found in the Chicago River on the South Side Friday afternoon, police said.

The alligator, which is about 5 1/2 to 6 feet long, was found near 37th Street and the Chicago River about 2:15 p.m. by a citizen who called police.

The city’s department of Animal Care & Control, 2741 S. Western Ave., took the alligator, which was alive, and no injuries were reported.

Source: Chicago SunTimes

Okefenokee Swamp gator to live on in display

Visitors loved Oscar, the Okefenokee Swamp Park's resident 13-foot, 5-inch, 1,000-pound, alligator, who often slumbered on the freshly mowed grass and sometimes the concrete walkways in the park.

But sometime during his long life, someone must have wanted his hide.

Oscar survived a shotgun blast to the face, at least three bullet wounds to the head, turf wars, multiple broken bones and crippling arthritis. Officials know that now because the beloved old gator died last July and the evidence is visible in his bones.

Oscar died about a year ago, but within a few months, visitors will be able to view him once again, or at least his skeleton, which is being mounted like that of a museum dinosaur. The contents of Oscar's stomach at death will also be included in the display: a plastic dog collar, a dog's tag, a penny, pieces of plastic, rocks and the top section of a flagpole.

Source: Jacksonville.com

Uninvited guest crawls into kitchen

Hearing strange noises at about 10:30 p.m., Sandra Frosti, 69, called 911. Frosti had an 8-foot alligator in her kitchen.

The whole thing apparently started when Poe the cat was prowling outside and the big alligator followed it home.

When Poe slipped onto the back porch, the 220-pound gator came along, crashing through a screen and passing a potted ficus tree and litter box.

Tailing Poe, the 8-foot, 8-inch reptile crawled over the blue carpeting, through an open sliding glass door and past the green suede sofa in the living room.

The gator likely emerged from one of the many ponds, lakes and creeks in Eastlake Woodlands in north Pinellas, where they are a common sight.

Source: St. Petersburg Times