{"id":289734,"date":"2025-11-13T20:11:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/289734\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T20:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T20:11:09","slug":"alligator-in-boston-officials-looking-for-safe-home-after-reptiles-capture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/289734\/","title":{"rendered":"Alligator in Boston: Officials looking for \u2018safe home\u2019 after reptile\u2019s capture"},"content":{"rendered":"

State officials are coming up with a long-term plan for a small alligator caught in the frigid water<\/a> of the Charles River near Back Bay in Boston this week. <\/p>\n

An American alligator caught Wednesday night by Joseph Kenney, an animal educator with Joe\u2019s Crazzy Critters, will be temporarily housed with the Massachusetts-based company specializing in exotic animals. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn behalf of MassWildlife, I\u2019d like to thank Joe Kenney for his effort to rescue the Charles River alligator last night,” Dr. Mike Jones, a MassWildlife state herpetologist, told MassLive on Thursday. “Alligators cannot survive Massachusetts\u2019 cold winters.” <\/p>\n

MassWildlife is working in close collaboration with the Environmental Police to find a safe home for the alligator as an educational animal with a permitted facility, Jones said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis incident serves as an important reminder that it is not legal to keep alligators or any crocodilian species as pets in Massachusetts,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n

Kenney has an educational permit for alligators, so state officials have temporarily authorized him to keep the small reptile while MassWildlife officials evaluate the best long-term placement for the animal. <\/p>\n

How the alligator arrived on the Charles River shores remains a mystery, but officials are investigating. <\/p>\n

It is most likely an illegal pet that escaped or was intentionally released, officials said. <\/p>\n

Alligators are not native to Massachusetts. Alligators cannot survive in cold temperatures, like those we experience during winters in Massachusetts. <\/p>\n

How was the \u2018gator captured?<\/p>\n

Kenney took to social media to show the small reptile in his hands Wednesday night. He said it took about 15 minutes, using a flashlight and a headlamp, to find the alligator in the Charles River waters near Back Bay in Boston.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the cold temps, the alligator had very low chances of surviving,\u201d Kenney said in an Instagram post.<\/a><\/p>\n

The alligator first surfaced on social media after a jogger along the river spotted the small reptile. The video showed<\/a> the alligator, black with bright yellowish-white bands, among fallen leaves \u2014 a strange sight in New England.<\/p>\n

It crawled backwards into the water after flashing its tiny teeth.<\/p>\n

MassWildlife was alerted to the alligator by someone who saw it earlier this week. If you were wondering, no, it is not legal to have an alligator as a pet in Massachusetts<\/a>. The same goes for crocodiles, caimans and gavials (a crocodile with a long, narrow snout).<\/p>\n

Whitney Lieberman saw the alligator on a run and saw it floating in the waters of Turtle Pond on the Charles River bike path. She posted a photo to Reddit.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cMy assumption is that he is someone\u2019s pet who was either lost or dumped (but he still gave me QUITE a jump scare at 7AM),\u201d she wrote in the post.<\/p>\n

Kenney said online that he caught the baby gator after an interview with NBC Boston and learning more about where it was spotted.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was tucked into some reeds, kind of along the edge there, in about a foot-and-a-half of water,\u201d Kenney told NBC Boston. \u201cHe was just tucked in and laying on the bottom.\u201d<\/p>\n

MassLive reached out to Kenney for comment.<\/p>\n

For now, the alligator is warm and housed with Joe\u2019s Crazzy Critter as they learn more and get instructions on what\u2019s next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping that he will be a new resident and ambassador here at Joe\u2019s Crazzy Critters,\u201d Kenney said in the post.<\/p>\n

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