Boston is home to Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins, but not usually alligators.
That’s why wildlife officials were puzzled when a foot-long gator was spotted in Bean Town’s famed Charles River. Luckily, The Associated Press reports that the scaly guy has been rescued and is safe.
Officials believe that the alligator was a pet that either escaped or was intentionally released. Beyond the strange sight of seeing it float through the Charles, the coming Boston winter would be difficult for a cold-blooded reptile to survive.
“An alligator isn’t designed to live in a fish tank,” says wildlife educator Joe Kenney, who was the one who corralled the gator. “Really, ideally, it should be living out in the swamp in the southern United States.”
Kenney will hold onto the gator for now while the state finds a suitable long-term home.