You are reading

Search continues for alligator, likely a pet set free

Twitter

Twitter

Aug. 3, 2015 By Michael Florio

The search continues for an alligator in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The 110 police precinct, which responded to a call Saturday that there was a alligator in the park, will continue to search for the gator by sending out officers to check the area for about an hour each day, unless another sighting occurs, according to Capt. Christopher Manson, the commanding officer of the precinct.

The Parks Department is now taking over the search.

A jogger discovered the alligator in the park Saturday morning under the Long Island Expressway (across from parking lots 4A and 4B) and called 911.

The responding officer then witnessed the alligator before the creature scurried away, Manson said. The precinct then conducted a search.

Police described the gator as about three and a half feet long and pretty thick.

The search for the gator continued throughout the weekend.

Manson was unsure as to how many people from the Parks Dept. will be involved in the search.

The alligator was likely a pet that either got too big or the owner struggled to take care of it so it was set free in the park, Manson said. He does not believe there are other gators in the park.

“It could have gotten too big or someone’s mom found it and made them get rid of it,” he said with a laugh. “I think it’s just this one gator that was let go in the park.”

Manson wants to find the alligator for the safety of the animal and peace of mind for residents.

“The alligator is not a threat at all,” he said. “He would scare somebody more than he can hurt them.”

“The alligator needs to be in his natural habitat,” he added.

The Parks Department and animal control did not respond to request for comments.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Mayor Adams marks one year of ‘Padlock to Protect’ with pizza and progress in Queens

Mayor Eric Adams marked the one-year anniversary of the launch of the city’s “Operation Padlock to Protect” initiative at a pizzeria on the Rego Park and Middle Village border on Wednesday and touted the significant progress in shutting down more than 1,400 illegal smoke shops across the five boroughs and seizing more than $95 million in illegal product since last May.

“The city was fed up. We heard it at every town hall. This time last year, there were thousands of illegal smoke shops plaguing our city with unlicensed cannabis endangering our children,” Adams said. “One year later, we are proud to announce that we have turned the tide. Thanks to the tireless efforts by our city’s law enforcement officers, we’ve padlocked thousands of illegal shops and created safer streets for children and families. But we’re not stopping there.”