Key takeaways:
- A nearly 8-foot alligator that had been illegally kept as a pet for nearly two decades was returned to its original home, a Texas zoo.
- The alligator had outgrown its pen because it was nearly 8 feet long.
- This incident serves as a reminder to the public that it is illegal to keep wild animals as pets.
A nearly 8-foot alligator that had been illegally kept as a pet for nearly two decades has been returned to its original home, a Texas zoo.
Texas Game Wardens spokesperson Jen Shugert said that investigators were at a property in rural Caldwell County for a separate incident when they spotted the alligator in a pen. The woman at the property told investigators that she had taken an alligator egg nearly 20 years ago when she was volunteering with a zoo.
The alligator had outgrown its pen because it was nearly 8 feet long. The zoo said in a video posted Friday that it’s believed the alligator was stolen when it was an egg or a hatchling by a person who had been volunteering at the zoo.
The alligator was returned to the zoo and is now living in its new home. The zoo said it is grateful for the return of the alligator and is happy to have it back.
This incident serves as a reminder to the public that it is illegal to keep wild animals as pets. Wildlife officials urge anyone who has illegally taken a wild animal to contact the local game warden and arrange for the animal to be returned to its natural habitat.
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