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Alligator Greets San Antonio Man Taking Out His Trash

A man putting out his trash on the far East Side on Tuesday found a five-foot long alligator resting in his front yard.

Police officers and experts from Animal Care Services responded to the report of the unwelcome visitor at the 3100 block of Rosalind Way. They managed to corral the alligator using a wire fence panel.

A reptile care specialist from Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo cared for the gator. ACS named it “Al.”

The four year old reptile was turned over to the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, which will release it into a more isolated and safer spot.

ACS spokeswoman Lisa Norwood said alligators are spotted in the area from time to time.

“There are alligators in the area, in the San Antonio River,” she said. “A 12 footer was actually found in Wilson County a few years back. We have brought in three since 2013.”

Alligators were much more common along the river in the early 1900s. Alligator was on the menu during the heyday of the Hot Wells Hotel on the South Side, which is now the site of a county park.

Alligator bones were found during excavation work on the old remnants of the hotel.

Brian Kirkpatrick can be reached at Brian@tpr.org and on Twitter at @TPRBrian.

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