An Alligator in Saint Joe River

Story filed by NewsCenter16 Reporter
Robert Borrelli

St. Joseph County, IN - An alligator on the St. Joseph River sounds rather hard to believe, but some Penn High School teachers have proof.  

Five Penn High teachers and two of their sons took a canoe trip last Friday. They had no idea that along a stretch of the St. Joseph River they'd make an amazing discovery.  

They saw an alligator sunning itself along the banks of the river, something you don't see too often.  

Penn biology teacher John Kovatch even tried to capture the reptile. “I was going to throw it in Mel's boat,” joked Kovatch.  

As for what will happen to the alligator, DNR biologist Rod Edgell said, “Odds are somebody's going to catch it or it's just going to live there peacefully until the winter comes and then it'll probably pass."

Edgell says from the looks of the alligator it's a juvenile, about one or two years old and about two or three feet long.  

A couple of the teachers have gone back to try and find the reptile, but with no luck.