Spring Is Here
You can tell it's spring. The alligator legions are marching North again. Last year it was Pennsylvania and New York, this year they are invading Indiana. The cold snap may have done at least one of them in,though. Authorities found the carcass.
BERNE, Ind. - Surveyors looking for the source of a clogged drain in southern Adams County found a 7-foot dead alligator. "At first they thought it was a turtle in there, but then they discovered an alligator," Adams County sheriff's Deputy Larry Butler said.
He said the 120-pound alligator, which had been dead for about a week, was put inside the drain after it died. The sheriff's department and the Department of Natural Resources were looking for the owner of the reptile found Monday in Berne, about 30 miles south of Fort Wayne.
It is legal to own alligators in Indiana, but the state requires owners to apply for a permit with the DNR for alligators that are longer than 5 feet, said Greg McCollam, assistant director with the department's fish and wildlife division. There were no permits registered in Adams County, he said.
We'd like to savor this for just a moment. The surveyors thought the alligator was a turtle. There doesn't appear to be much breadth in the educational program for surveyors, does there? We here at Blue Crab Boulevard are always ready to help educate people about animals so, for the edification of the surveyors in Indiana we whipped up a little photo guide. The first picture shows a turtle. Note how it differs from the second photo, which shows an alligator. There will be a test later.
By chuck, Wednesday, 18 April , 2007 @ 11:00 pm
My goodness, is that a cute little snapping turtle?