Alligator discovered in Chicago River
Chicago has had some interesting experiences with wild animals this year. In April, a cougar had the misfortune of wandering into the city's North Side -- it was shot by police. Yesterday, a different kind of creature was discovered in the Chicago River. The Chicago Tribune reports:
Terrible things have emerged over the years from Bubbly Creek, a spot in the Chicago River that was once a churning sewer for the city's slaughterhouses. But until Friday, nobody had seen what Bill Cox and his co-workers saw — something with a devilish underbite, sinister eyes and a coldblooded appetite. An honest-to-goodness alligator in the Chicago River...
The American alligator, at left, may have been a long way from home, but she looked docile in the water. Her demeanor changed after she was trapped by volunteers with the Chicago Herpetological Society.
The thrashing, hissing transplant — estimated to be 5 years old — was put in a plastic container and spent the next few hours snapping at TV cameras and people who came to meet her in the Midland parking lot. The American alligator is one of the strongest and most aggressive of reptiles native to the United States, experts said.
The animal will be sent to a shelter in the Southeast.
--Alice Short
Photo: Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune
