Tortoise Suspected of Helping Baby Alligator Flee the Zoo
A baby alligator named Carlos has broken out of a Michigan zoo, thanks to a large tortoise that regularly strolls around the area.
Gary Moore, who runs the GarLyn Zoo in Mackinac County, suspects that the 12-inch hatchling was able to sneak under the double fence because the tortoise wore the dirt away from the bottom of the railing. Moore didn’t notice that Carlos was gone until a state police trooper stopped by the zoo last Sunday to ask if a gator was missing. Turns out someone saw Carlos along the highway where the 30-acre facility is located, but no one wrangled him, so he’s still on the loose.
The alligator isn’t dangerous, but Moore thinks the young reptile won’t survive in the outside world past October, when much of Michigan ices over for winter.
“I’m asking people, if they see a little alligator holding a sign on U.S. 2 that says ‘Florida or bust,’ to call us,” he told MLive. “I hope we could spot him here soon.”
Carlos is the first animal to escape in the 21 years that the zoo has been open, according to Moore.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the American alligator from the endangered species list in 1987 after the reptile bounced back from being hunted to near extinction decades before. Today more than a million alligators freely roam the waters of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas—where hunting is regulated.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Circus Elephants Make Great Escape—Well, for 45 Minutes
• After a 2,500-Mile Trek, Four Bears Leave Their Zoo Days Behind
• When You Walk Into a Zoo, Are You Helping Animals or Hurting Them?
Original article from TakePart
