(WWJ) An alleged alligator in Oakland County has officials on alert.
It happens from time to time that an alligator shows up in Michigan — and this time there's been a reporting sighting in Kent Lake, at Kensington Metropark.
WWJ's Kyle Kimball reports that, out of an abundance of caution, alligator warning signs have gone up at the popular park in Milford.
The sign reads: BE AWARE: Possible alligator sighting in Kent Lake. If sighted, call Metroparks Police at 810-227-8910. DO NOT APPROACH."
“Alligators are not native to Michigan, so if this sighting is real, it is most likely the result of someone releasing a pet alligator into the lake,” Huron-Clinton Metroparks said, in a statement, adding: "We remind visitors that pets or wildlife of any kind should not be released and relocated to the Metroparks,"
If an alligator is on the loose in the area, it won't be the first time.
In July of 2019, a four-foot gator named "Puff" escaped the Milford Township home where he had lived with his owner for eight years.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the typical range for alligators stretches from coastal North Carolina to southern Florida and the Keys, and west through the Deep South to central Texas and southeastern Oklahoma. However, they do pop up in other areas from time to time.
There is no state law that prohibits owning alligators in Michigan, although many municipalities have ordnances in place governing the keeping of pets.
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