CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The affable, bearded reptile wrangler who captured the alligator known as Chance the Snapper in Humboldt Park in 2019 is in need of heart surgery and assistance to pay for it.
Frank Robb tells Block Club Chicago doctors tell him he will need a heart valve replaced soon.
“I’ve been doing a lot of praying about it,” Robb said. “Just focusing on the good, thinking about how much better it’s going to be when [the surgery] is done.”
Unfortunately, Robb said he does not have health insurance. Friends have started an online fundraiser to help bankroll the procedure, which Robb says will be risky for him because he had heart surgery as a child.
Robb gained overnight fame -- and the nickname "Alligator Robb" -- in summer 2019 when an alligator was spied in the Humboldt Park lagoon. Residents and media camped out as authorities tried to locate and snare the young male gator, which was dubbed “Chance the Snapper” in honor of the city’s famous rap musician.
Robb was able to capture the alligator quickly and without harming the creature. The animal is living at a reptile sanctuary in Florida, Robb's home state.
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