NEW PLYMOUTH, ID — Wildlife officials were shocked last week when they were called to a small town in Idaho to remove a non-native animal not usually found in the region or even on that side of the country.
An Idaho man was walking his dog after dark on Thursday when something moving in the brush got his attention. The New Plymouth resident investigated the movement and found a three-foot-long alligator hiding in the tall grass.
This 3.5-foot alligator was found in brush south of New Plymouth by a resident walking a dog.
— Idaho Fish and Game (@idfg) October 21, 2022
Anyone with information about this alligator should contact our Southwest Office at 208-465-8465 or the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999. https://t.co/ycGlOAvphL pic.twitter.com/xm6qOlIz4L
“The reporting party loaded the alligator into a nearby horse trailer and called Fish and Game department, who picked up the animal the following morning,” according to an Idaho Fish and Game news release.
The Idaho Fish and Game department would like to find out how the alligator ended up in a rural town over 1,300 miles from its natural habitat.
“In all likelihood, this alligator got loose from someone, and we are interested in finding the owner,” Regional Conservation Officer Matt O’Connell said.
It is illegal to possess alligators in Idaho without a proper permit. The release said it is also illegal to release captive crocodilians into the wild.
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