An Alligator in the Saint Joe River Part 2

South Bend, IN - About a week and a half ago an alligator was spotted in the St. Joseph River in South Bend. Now comes word that the gator has been eliminated.  

A conservation officer with the Department of Natural Resources shot and killed the alligator on Sunday.  

That came as a disappointment to one of the canoeists who first spotted and photographed the gator on May 27th. He had hoped the gator could be captured alive,  

That was not the case as the officer was not able to get close enough to attempt a capture, but that he did get a good enough look to eliminate the reptile.  

DNR biologist Rod Edgell said, “It wasn't a concern ecologically. The only concern we had was that somebody might try to capture the animal, or something like that, and actually end up hurting themselves.”  

The gator was about two and a half feet long, between two and three-years-old. It was probably someone's pet and was dumped there when it became too hard to handle.