CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Crews are hoping for better luck Wednesday, as the search continues for a second day for a four-foot alligator that someone set free in the Humboldt Park Lagoon.
The curious have been stopping along the banks of the lagoon, hoping to catch a glimpse of the alligator - and that's a concern for the man known as "Alligator Bob" from the Chicago Herpetological Society, who was called in to capture it.
"We are asking people not to come down here and gawk at it, because that scared him away yesterday. Every time he would pop up, he'd dive right away, quickly," Alligator Bob said. "He's scared, and all he sees is all these predators looking at him, so he's scared."
Alligator Bob has been paddling through the lagoon in a canoe, but said there are plenty of places in Humboldt Park where a 4-foot alligator can keep a low profile.
There are three baited traps in the lagoon. Alligator Bob said alligators have a very good sense of smell. He is hoping that he will be lured in by the smell of chicken or other meat in the traps.
"Once he gets comfortable, saying 'hey there's nothing in this water that hurts me.' Once he get's comfortable, he's going to find a place to lay down in the sun and relax and fall asleep. He'll get lethargic enough that we can sneak up on him and capture him with a net or something."
The alligator was first spotted in the lagoon on Thursday around 4 p.m. Police confirmed later Tuesday that there was indeed an alligator int he lagoon, and that it would be trapped and then relocated to a zoo for veterinary evaluation.
UPDATE - We've independently confirmed the alligator is in the lagoon and state reptile specialists say its between 4 and 5 feet long. The reptile will be humanely trapped tonight and relocated to a zoo for veterinary evaluation
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) July 9, 2019Loose alligators have been captured in the Chicago area before.
In October 2018, a 4-foot-long alligator whose mouth had been taped shut was rescued from Lake Michigan near north suburban Waukegan. Authorities said the alligator wouldn't have survived for another couple weeks.
Within one month in 2011, two alligators were found swimming in the Chicago River. One, about 3 feet long, was found near the 3200 block of North Rockwell Street. Authorities said the alligator was likely a pet that someone turned loose. A slightly smaller alligator was found weeks earlier about two blocks north.
