Emergency responders were in for a shock when paramedics responded to a medical call at a residence and discovered a gator living in home’s basement – and apparently it had been there for 25 years.
Police then responded to the paramedic’s report of the gator penned in the basement, and even though they knew what to expect – they still were shocked.
“I’ve been a police officer 17 years, and I’ve never come across an alligator,” Madison Township Patrol Commander Darrel Breneman told Fox 28 Columbus.
The 5-foot-long, 25-year-old alligator was living inside of a tub-like structure that had water and a pump inside it. The owner, Dusty Rhoades, said that he had picked up “Alli” at a flea market years ago. He said that he figured he’d keep him until he couldn’t care for him any longer.
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In Ohio, it’s against the law to keep an exotic animal like an alligator without a special permit. Rhoades did not possess the proper permit but avoided being cited by police after agreeing to voluntarily surrender the animal to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
“They kind of grow to the size of the enclosure that they’re in, so he’s not reached his full potential, and I think it’s pretty exciting to know that he’s going to an alligator sanctuary in a warmer climate where he can reach his full potential and experience that,” Breneman added.
Now that Alli is in the custody of the agriculture department, they are planning on moving him to a fully-fledged alligator sanctuary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Watch the full news report below.