Call To Wrangle A Rogue Alligator Turns Hilarious For Animal Control Officers

When you work for animal control, you never know what kind of day you’re going to get. Still, none of the workers at the Andover Massachusetts Animal Control were prepared for this kind of day. It all started when someone in dispatch had an interesting task for ACO Katie. She started their conversation with, “I hope you’re not busy because I’ve got a good one for you!” Luckily, ACO Katie was more than happy to take on a challenge.

Katie’s task? To handle an alligator some locals said they spotted while at Deer Jump Reservation. Needless to say, Katie and her animal control colleagues, Officers Siegel and Murray, were quick to make their way to the alligator. At the trail, they met with the people who called them. Once they got close enough to the gator in question, however, they realized something unusual about the little guy…

“Once we arrived in the area, our excitement turned to belly laughs as we picked up [a] toy gator who was very well camouflaged and placed to look like the real thing!” the animal control shares in a social media post.

Not a single real alligator was found in the area — only this small toy. To be fair, the callers didn’t get close so they could stay safe, making it easy to mistake it for the real thing. Besides, these animal control officers certainly didn’t mind getting a laugh that day.

Once the alligator was found, the officers removed it from the area. That way, others didn’t have “mini panic attacks while walking through the trails.” Plus, they’re taking this opportunity to remind folks of the importance of keeping your dogs leashed. You never know what creatures are out there, after all!

“Surprisingly, this isn’t the first alligator call in this area and it surely won’t be the last — you never know what kind of creatures you’ll come across in the woods,” their post continues, “thankfully this one was made of rubber instead of scales.”

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!