Alligator found in bad shape outside of drug house in Wayne County, Michigan
A 4-foot alligator was rescued after being found outside a drug house Monday in Ecorse, Michigan.
Mark Rosenthal with Animal Magic Inc. said he was called to assist police in capturing the alligator found in the backyard. He said the alligator is missing teeth and has trauma on the right side of its head.
"Don't let its small size fool you, this is one of the meanest alligators I've ever rescued! I was a little slow (in my old age), and he bit my left forearm before I could stop him from rolling. Once we got back to our sanctuary, I put him in an outdoor enclosure with a pond, and he turned and actually charged and tried to attack me three times," Rosenthal said in a social media post.
"I wish he could talk and tell me what he went through. I don't blame him for being mean. It's not his fault he's in this situation. We'll nurse him back to health and find him an appropriate, permanent home at a zoo."
Rosenthal told CBS News Detroit on Wednesday that he was called to the same house in November 2024 to rescue another alligator.
"They called me then because there was an 8-foot alligator in the basement. I went there and got that gator. It's now at a sanctuary in Florida. How weird that I get a call for the same house five months later," he said. "You have no idea how many calls we get for alligators, more than every other animal combined."
"I care about getting the animal out of your place and into the right environment."
It is not the first time alligators have been found in Southeast Michigan this past year.
Another incident occurred in October 2024 when Sterling Heights police helped wrangle a 4-foot alligator hiding underneath a car.
Police responded to Summit Drive for a report of a loose alligator. Without any training on how to wrangle an alligator, police called the Reptarium Zoo in Utica for help. The alligator was secured and taken to the Reptarium Zoo, where he would be cared for. Police are now on the hunt to find the alligator's owner.
A few months earlier, in July 2024, Detroit police were called to a home for a wellness check when they found a pet alligator. Police said a man inside the house was found dead. A German shepherd was also found.
Detroit Animal Care and Control arrived and removed the animals, which appeared to be OK and had been there for weeks. Police said the alligator was taken to the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary in Athens, Michigan.
