Massachusetts police remove 6-foot alligator from backyard

[ChrisSmolinski]

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Police in Massachusetts have captured and removed a 6-foot alligator from the backyard of a home with the help of workers from a local zoo.

Officers were dispatched to the West Springfield property at about noon Thursday following a tip from a concerned resident. They extracted the alligator with two animal control catch poles -- one tied around its neck and the other around its tail -- from a fenced-off area in the yard.

The reptile, which weighed an estimated 150 to 180 pounds, was taken to the zoo following its capture.

Full story: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/massachusetts-police-remove-6-foot-alligator-from-backyard-1.3016055

[jFarley]

I wonder who that concerned resident was.

Could he be someone who felt that his cache of Spam was in jeopardy?

[JCMaxwell]

I wonder who that concerned resident was.

Could he be someone who felt that his cache of Spam was in jeopardy?

Good thinking jFarley, I wonder where the Skipper was at the time?

[Skipmuck]

Wow! What a novel idea to keep unwanted intruders out of the yard! But no JFarley...my Spam supply is safely under lock and key inside the premises...one can never have enough security when it comes to foiling those remarkably clever Spam thieves. Here in East Springfield, we have a dedicated group of civil servants who patrol the area for such things as monitoring gangs, keeping an eye out for drug dealers, reminding homeowners to mow their lawns at least once each summer, as well as reporting to police any suspicious intruders scoping out the neighborhood looking to purloin the hard earned consumable potted meat supplies of the Skipmeisters of the world and their kindred spirits. When captured, we banish them to the other side of the Connecticut River where they will forever reside in the town of West Springfield. Interestingly enough, back in the mid 1960's, one could purchase baby alligators at any of the local pet stores in the area! My older brother did just that and it was cute until it started growing and required larger and larger aquariums to accomodate its ever increasing bulk. The tricky part was when the aquarium water had to be changed! One had to reach in and grab the varmint just behind the neck and hold on tightly....even with a 100 gallon domicile, this was not easily accomplished, as the gator was over 2 feet long and didn't take kindly to being picked up. At that point, it was no longer feasible to continue keeping the gator as a pet. It was no longer cute and too big to flush down the toilet, like they did in large metropolitan areas such as New York City. The solution was to donate it to the Springfield Museum of Natural History where it was housed for a short spell. I wonder what happened to that frisky little gator? Anyway, it seems that this West Springfield alligator was housed in an enclosure similar to a dog pen and had been living at the residence for 26 years! The owner was uncooperative according to a local news story. Stranger things have occured in the various sections of Springfield over the years.....

THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBORS SPAM

[Skipmuck]

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -
An alligator living in a person's home has become the icon of Main Street in West Springfield. At around noon today, police and Springfield zoo personnel were sent to that West Springfield where they caught an alligator that had made its home in the backyard. The alligator was living on couches and cheese steaks, and at the sight of his leaving, residents have shed tears of sorrow. The Main Street community in West Springfield has lost its icon - a six foot, 150 pound alligator - 26 year old Wally from Florida. "He had a great home. We did a lot of work in making that place perfect for him," said Jim Mirolli. Jim Mirolli is a close friend of the gator's owner, Anthony Servel. He told us, to the surprise of many, that this gator wouldn't hurt a fly. "It didn't actually hunt either. It was hand fed, so it had no nature to kill anything." Mirolli said Servel brought it home in a cooler 26 years ago from a Florida family trip. Since then, it has made its home on the third floor and the back yard, and family friends have kept him safe. "We built a pond for him, an entrance way for him to get in and out of the shelter. He's caged in where he is never going to be able to get loose," said Mirolli. "We never thought it could be an alligator because alligators are a dangerous animal," said Kevin Toss. Kevin Toss manages Star Pizza in West Springfield. He said the alligator's owner was a regular customer, but ordered enough food for an entire family. "We knew it was too much for him. We asked him what he was going to do with all his stuff, and he said 'I have animals at home. I have pets.'" For now, Wally is safe and sound at Forest Park Zoo in Springfield. "He is now safely in our care. We will have a vet look after him, and we will have him with us until we know more from the investigation," said Amanda Bligh, director’s assistant at Forest Park Zoo. Mirolli is thankful for Wally's safety, but says there is no place like home. "Well, one part, I'm happy he is in a good place, the other part, I'm sad that he is not at home where he belongs," said Mirolli. The zoo tells us Wally is now living with another alligator for the first time, and as of now, they are getting along just fine.

[Pigmeat]

Buying baby gators was the highlight of the annual trek to Florida. By the time I was nine I was a notorious gator smuggler. A supplier to nearly a three block area. I once saw a two-footer take on a tomcat. It was quite a tussle but the cat won, minus a chuck of it's tail. Many an allowance was lost that day.

The owner of the gator recently passed away. The owner of the cat lives on and prospers. We had fine funeral for that gator after the fight. I said a few words in it's honor. It was noble gator and beloved by all. I like to think it was related to the one that swallowed Al Fansome a few months back.

The gator's owner resides on his girlfriend's mantle. She wouldn't allow an actual  memorial service as she doesn't approve of his boon companions and ex-girlfriends. We had one anyway. Called it "Bobfest" in his honor. It lasted an entire weekend with his old band providing the entertainment and a couple of ancient dancers of the exotic, some of the above former girlfriends, caused temporary blindness by flashing the mourners.

It was a fine old fashioned bender, it nearly sent all of us old farts off to join him. The cat owner did a cannonball into the river from a rope that damned near killed him. A good time was had by one and all.

[MDK2]

Buying baby gators was the highlight of the annual trek to Florida. By the time I was nine I was a notorious gator smuggler. A supplier to nearly a three block area. I once saw a two-footer take on a tomcat. It was quite a tussle but the cat won, minus a chuck of it's tail. Many an allowance was lost that day.

The owner of the gator recently passed away. The owner of the cat lives on and prospers. We had fine funeral for that gator after the fight. I said a few words in it's honor. It was noble gator and beloved by all. I like to think it was related to the one that swallowed Al Fansome a few months back.

The gator's owner resides on his girlfriend's mantle. She wouldn't allow an actual  memorial service as she doesn't approve of his boon companions and ex-girlfriends. We had one anyway. Called it "Bobfest" in his honor. It lasted an entire weekend with his old band providing the entertainment and a couple of ancient dancers of the exotic, some of the above former girlfriends, caused temporary blindness by flashing the mourners.

It was a fine old fashioned bender, it nearly sent all of us old farts off to join him. The cat owner did a cannonball into the river from a rope that damned near killed him. A good time was had by one and all.

I've been partying with the wrong crowd.