Wife calls animal control on husband’s 8-foot gator after they split, officials say

An eight-foot alligator was removed from a couple’s Pennsylvania home after the pair parted ways, officials said.

A man purchased the reptile as a baby in 2011 and kept it in a locked enclosure in the basement of his and his wife’s Philadelphia home, a spokesperson for ACCT Philly, a nonprofit animal shelter, told McClatchy News.

“We’ve had him all these years,” the wife, who identified herself as Yali, told the shelter. “But now we’ve separated, so I wanted him out of here.”

She called ACCT in early April, asking if they would remove the scaly basement dweller, the shelter said.

“I was scared that it would come out,” Yali told the shelter.

ACCT officers responded to the home on April 17 and collected the 127-pound alligator, which can be seen lying near a weight rack and bicycle in a video.

While restraining the creature’s forelegs behind its back, an officer can be heard saying, “You’re under arrest.”

The alligator was carried out of the home and placed in a van.

“We had secured a plane to take him to Michigan but he is too big to fit now, so we are looking at a local (within PA) option,” the ACCT spokesperson said.

It is illegal to keep dangerous exotic animals in Philadelphia, the shelter said, adding “We aren’t pursuing any charges because we don’t want people to hesitate to call us.”

This is at least the third alligator to be recovered by ACCT Philly in April, according to a statement posted by them on Facebook.

A three-foot caiman was also removed from a city park in March, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Wife calls animal control on husband’s 8-foot gator after they split, officials say."