- For a state with no alligators, Michigan sure seems to have an alligator problem.
Serving eviction notices isn’t a pleasant business. First of all, you have to kick someone out of their home, and second, you never know what you’ll encounter at the house.
Like a family of alligators.
On December 16, Detroit police officers received a call to come help serve an eviction notice. The tenant getting evicted wasn’t taking the situation well and the bailiffs felt they needed some extra authority.
Serving the notice still didn’t go as planned. The tenant reportedly fled the bailiffs and cops by getting into an unknown vehicle and speeding away.
After the tenant had run away, the cops left the scene and the bailiffs entered the home. However, they quickly called the police back to the house after seeing the surprise inside.
Apparently, the tenant had been sharing the home with a family of alligators. Awaiting the bailiffs were one adult alligator and three baby ones, which shared one large water tank.
The cops, determining that handling alligators was beyond their area of expertise, alerted animal control. They helped remove the reptiles who will likely go live with a licensed exotic animal keeper.
Well-Kept but Illegal
To animal control’s surprise, the alligators were in good condition. The animals are difficult to take care of and can easily develop debilitating health issues.
“An alligator that’s not fed a proper diet, the entire snout and the mouth will be deformed,” Jovan Stacks, a federally licensed exhibitor and exotic animal store owner, explained to Fox News.
Gators also need a lot of space and the right kind of environment with a proper temperature. Furthermore, they have to be handled very carefully, as even young alligators have sharp teeth and plenty of bite.
The escaped tenant had given the alligators all of that.
“It looks like whoever had this alligator, they were taking care of it,” said Stacks.
So, at least the animals weren’t abused, neglected, or otherwise mistreated. Unfortunately for their owner, they were still illegal.
Now, the state of Michigan doesn’t prohibit owning alligators. The state only restricts the ownership of non-native animals (with some exceptions) but since gators are 100% homegrown American animals, Michigan residents are allowed to own them.
But it’s a different story when it comes to local laws. The City of Detroit doesn’t allow gators within city limits.
The authorities don’t currently know whether the tenant was aware that they couldn’t legally keep the alligators.
“A lot of times, people can obtain an alligator without knowing the proper laws,” said Stacks.
What’s With All the Gators, Michigan?
As a northern state, Michigan has no native alligator population. But the people of the state must be making good use of the legality of owning gators because there have been a bizarre number of alligator-related incidents in Michigan this year.
In June, police attempted to stop a speeding truck but the driver refused to obey. Following a brief high-speed chase, the car got stuck between two trees.
Inside the vehicle, the cops found the driver and a small alligator — whom they named Karen.
“The passenger, ‘Karen’ the Alligator, attempted to flee the scene, but was taken into custody after a short scuffle. Karen is not facing any charges at this time.
“We believe she was an unwilling participant during the incident, nor do we believe she was ever in control of the vehicle,” the police wrote on Facebook.
On July 10, the Whitehouse Nature Center in Albion, Michigan, decided to close its doors “out of an abundance of caution” after two people reported seeing an alligator in the Kalamazoo River. The animal was reportedly four to five feet long.
We couldn’t verify where the alligator came from, whether it was caught, or even existed in the first place. But it seems like a smart choice to play things safe and not risk visitors running into a potentially irate crocodilian.
Finally, on August 24, Kalamazoo Public Safety officers got a call of an alligator crossing the street in the city. This report was accurate and the authorities picked up the young, small gator.
Where it came from remains a mystery. But all the reptiles must’ve escaped from somebody, since they sure didn’t come to Michigan on their own.
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