Watch: Alligator spotted swimming in Pennsylvania river

Ben Hooper
·1 min read
54

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Wildlife officials and police in Pennsylvania are trying to locate an alligator spotted swimming in a river.

A group of kayakers on the Kiski River between Avonmore and Apollo snapped a photo Saturday when they spotted an approximately 4-foot alligator nearby.

"It was on the shore, then it moved into the water," kayaker Mark Tanis told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "We obviously don't see this on the Kiski."

Police and the Pennsylvania Game Commission are now attempting to locate the reptile.

Amber Phillips, a humane officer with Armstrong County, said anyone who spots the gator should immediately notify authorities.

"Don't wait three hours. Don't wait four hours. We need to know the exact location at that given time if we have any chance of capturing it," she told WTAE-TV.

Kiski Township Police Chief Lee Bartolicius said authorities do not know where the gator came from, but a few local residents are known to keep alligators as legal pets.