Search for alleged alligator of Lake Erie enters second week. Any more sightings of it?

Nicholas Sorensen, Erie Times-News
·2 min read

As the search for the alleged alligator in Lake Erie enters its second week, there was no sign of the reptile reported to officials over the weekend.

Julie Slomski, executive director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, said the Port Authority is still working with animal trapper Jayson Olsen from Siren's Nest of Exotic Rescue to locate the estimated 4-to-6-foot-long alligator. Olsen was unavailable for comment Monday.

The initial sighting of the gator was reported Aug. 4 in Lake Erie at the foot of East Avenue.

More: Where's the Lake Erie alligator? What officials are doing to locate it

Multiple residents around the area last week reported sightings around the rocks near the East Avenue boat launch. Nothing else has been seen or reported since.

On Aug. 9, Slomski told the Erie Times-News: "We have seen no tracks, no trace of it, nothing. If it’s out there, we hope it’s safe and we find it. But we haven’t had any confirmed sightings of it. We haven’t seen it on any (surveillance) camera footage. We don’t have any facts yet to confirm this. But we’re taking it seriously.”

Swimming in the area prohibited

Slomski said she wants to remind the Erie community and beach visitors who are frequenting the beach area of East Avenue that there is a no-swimming advisory posted around the area.

The signs found around the area read: "Warning, there has been a report of an alligator sighted near this location on 8/4/24. Do not enter the water and please use caution near the shoreline."

"We ask that visitors respect the signage throughout our footprint, especially when swimming is prohibited," Slomski said. "Our goal is to ensure the safety of our visitors."

Erie Port Authority has now posted gator sighting warnings around the beach area of the foot of East Avenue.
Erie Port Authority has now posted gator sighting warnings around the beach area of the foot of East Avenue.

Lake Erie gator search: Week 2

Here is what we know so far going into the second week of the alleged gator search:

More: Was leaving an alligator in Lake Erie a crime? Official explains outcomes

  • Initial sighting was Aug. 4, but other witnesses claim to have seen signs of it on Aug. 6.

  • The alligator's location is unknown, but it was possibly seen near the East Avenue boat launch and former Erie Coke Plant area.

  • Multiple residents have claimed to have seen the gator in rocks or signs of tracks, but there is no hard evidence to support the claims.

  • A Pennsylvania Waterways Conservation officer was initially part of the search for the alleged gator.

  • Erie Zoo Director of Development Scott Mitchell has said that gators can swim up to 20 miles per hour, so it could be anywhere along Lake Erie shoreline.

Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Lake Erie alleged alligator: Search enters second week with no sign