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Police capture alligator loose in NY yard

Officers safely capture 3-foot-long gator with help of dog leash

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Police in Jamestown, N.Y. subdue a 3-foot gator that went wandering around a residential neighborhood. Before animal control arrived, officers used a dog leash to restrain the animal.

Photo courtesy Jamestown P.D

By Police1 Staff

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Police in the western New York city of Jamestown responded to a very unusual call Tuesday as an alligator was reported on the loose in a residential neighborhood.

Police say a resident called about 7:45 a.m. Tuesday to report the sighting of a 3-foot-long alligator in a side yard.

Fortunately, police - along with the city’s animal control officer - were able to apprehend the reptile without incident or injury. They are unsure at this point where it came from or how long it may have been wandering the city.

“We’ve contacted the DEC, and we’re working with them to relocate this alligator to a suitable area. We’re hoping maybe the Buffalo Zoo,” Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings told WIVB 4.

Naturally, someone quickly created a Twitter account for the “JamestownAlligator”, similar to one created for the Bronx Zoo cobra that escaped and went missing for several days in late March.

This article features reporting from The Associated Press