3-foot alligator found crossing Mass. street

[August 24, 2010]  BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) -- A three-foot alligator, sporting a collar around its neck, has been found aimlessly strolling a Massachusetts city. Firefighter Scott Hurst spotted the out-of-place tan reptile Sunday as it quietly crossed a street in Brockton, 25 miles south of Boston.

Hurst said he lifted the gator by its collar and tail and used a bungee cord to tie it up in the back of his pickup truck.

Animal control supervisor Tom DeChellis told The Enterprise of Brockton that he assumes the alligator is a pet because of its collar, but he doesn't expect anyone to claim it.

DeChellis said animal control has picked up alligators in the city before, typically when left behind by people moving out of houses or apartments.

Authorities are looking to place the alligator with a wildlife specialist.

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Information from: The Enterprise, http://www.enterprisenews.com/

[Associated Press]

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