Pittsburgh, PA
The first alligator was found, sunning itself on a trail near the Monongahela River on May 18, the 3-foot reptile was a novelty. The second one, was found by a man walking his dog in the Beechview neighborhood on June 6, seemed like an odd coincidence. That gator, about 5 feet long and hissing with apparent ill humor, was captured with considerable perplexity and exertion by several officers. When a third gator was found two days later—a 2½-footer lounging on a front porch in the Carrick district—the police were astounded.
“This needs to stop,” said Chris Togneri, a police spokesman, citing a threat to children and pets. “We don’t need alligators in Pittsburgh.” The police believe the three recent discoveries were pets that escaped or were let loose.
- Reptiles