Authorities raid Hemet pot house, find 50-pound alligator
Narcotics agents raiding a Hemet pot house made a surprise finding amid dozens of plants and seedlings: A 50-pound alligator.
The 4-foot-long gator had been living inside the home, where the owner had set up a cement tub with water so the reptile could get wet.
"He wasn't aggressive at all. ... This guy was just very, very mellow," said Joel Almquist, who was summoned Monday night by authorities to take the alligator to his animal sanctuary.
Almquist and his wife operate the nonprofit Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan in San Bernardino County. The sanctuary is home to lions, tigers and, now, 15 alligators.
Although alligators are illegal in California, Almquist told The Times, the reptiles are popular pets. He said he has recovered about 70 alligators in the last four years.
The animal in Hemet was an American alligator, which are found across the Southeast.
Almquist said he taped the animal's mouth and was on his way.
"I had to kind of push the plants to the side," he said, "and pick the gator up and boogie out of there."
RELATED:
50-pound alligator found at Hemet pot-growing house has new home
-- Robert J. Lopez
Twitter: @LAJourno
EDITOR'S PICKS:
the alligator was "very, very mellow" ???? ha haaaaa...i WONDER why!!!
Posted by: dee gee | March 08, 2011 at 07:26 PM
Oh what a wacky town I live in.
Posted by: Kevin Snow | March 08, 2011 at 08:11 PM
Hummm, a 50 pound "mellow" alligator in a pot farm? What else would you expect? Go figure.
Posted by: Papavito | March 08, 2011 at 08:29 PM
Wonder if the gator will need rehab. Creative watch dog idea. LOL
Posted by: Sandy | March 08, 2011 at 09:15 PM
Remember the alligator farm in Orange county?
Posted by: Mike | March 08, 2011 at 09:18 PM
A mellow alligator in a pot house.......hmmm. Well, at least he didn't have the munchies.
Posted by: lv | March 08, 2011 at 09:51 PM
Perhaps the gator was high? Haha. Seriously though, how does one keep that big of an animal a secret and WHY would one want one as a pet?
Posted by: AngelsDucksFan | March 08, 2011 at 10:30 PM
Only in the IE. Do you here something crazy as a gator in a drug house.
Posted by: dan | March 08, 2011 at 10:40 PM
Is it a surprise that a gator found in a pot house was mellow?
Posted by: commonsense | March 08, 2011 at 10:51 PM
Alligators are 'illegal' in California!?!?
Brother - they are undocumented reptiles and were here long before the White man.
Posted by: Olden Atwoody | March 09, 2011 at 12:00 AM
Mellow? until its hungry... "be wary of any man that keeps a pig farm"
Posted by: Lou | March 09, 2011 at 04:23 AM