Cape Girardeau police rescue alligator hatchling

The Cape Girardeau Police Department dealt with an unusual trespasser Saturday, Aug. 26, when officers were dispatched to apprehend an alligator.

Officers responded to the 600 block of Red Bud Circle around 7 p.m. after a resident reported they'd found an alligator in their yard. The reptile was still a hatchling, just 16 inches long.

"Definitely not something you see every day by any means," the department's public information officer Robert Newton said. "Obviously they're not native to Missouri because our winters get too cold for them."

He said the alligator was most likely a pet that either escaped or that its owner decided to turn loose.

The department's lead communicator, Josh McKinney, took the alligator to his home to care for until its owner can be reached. Newton said McKinney is a reptile handler who already takes care of another alligator.

He recommended that people not discard alligators or any other exotic pets they have if they don't want to raise them anymore.

"If you are not able to care for it, contact the police department, and the nuisance officers can come collect the animal," Newton said.

Owning an alligator for a pet is legal in Missouri as long as the animal is less than 8 feet long.

The alligator found by Cape Girardeau police officers Saturday, Aug. 26, is being cared for by a member of the department's communications team until its owner is located.Courtesy Cape Girardeau Police Department

The alligator found by Cape Girardeau police officers Saturday, Aug. 26, is being cared for by a member of the department's communications team until its owner is located.Courtesy Cape Girardeau Police Department