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Gator sightings becoming a more common occurrence in Pennsylvania

BIRD-IN-HAND, Pa. – A Lancaster County family encountered an unusual sight over the weekend near their home: a three-foot American alligator! “I never thought I...

BIRD-IN-HAND, Pa. – A Lancaster County family encountered an unusual sight over the weekend near their home: a three-foot American alligator!

“I never thought I'd see an alligator, so it was funny,” Joel Bare, who spotted the gator, said. “You see a lot of turtles, some snakes, but I never thought I'd see an alligator.”

Bare and his wife were walking along Mill Creek in Bird-In-Hand Sunday afternoon when they spotted the gator on a rock in the creek.

Bare got some advice from Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary in Lititz, keeping the alligator overnight.  As more and more people in town heard about the sighting, on Monday night his neighbor came forward, saying the alligator had escaped from his house a few days ago. Bare then handed the gator back to its rightful owner.

“I was just happy to connect a gator and its owner, he loves it, so I was glad we could help,” Bare said.

Owning a pet alligator in Pennsylvania is legal, with many available at pet stores or on the Internet for $50 to $100, according to Jesse Rothacker, founder of Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary.

While alligators are legal to own in the Keystone State, other animals, like the Eastern Box Turtle, which used to be allowed, are not since they are designated as a “species of concern,” a status that is two levels above the endangered list, he said.

“The legislators in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, they thought this through and decided [an alligator] should not be a pet,” Rothacker said. “In Pennsylvania, no one has the political will to consider regulating these [alligators].”

Rothacker worries the state’s lenient alligator laws may lead to buyers from outside the state entering to buy an alligator and transport it illegally across state lines. Because there is no regulation in place, the number of calls Rothacker has gotten about alligator sightings has gone up substantially.

“What we'd like to see is not a total ban, but just some responsible regulation,” he said. “You need a license for your dog; why would you not need a license for your alligator, something that could eat your dog?”

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