For the second time in 10 days, a fugitive alligator was captured southwest of Brainerd, Minn.
A second wayward gator is captured near Brainerd
A small alligator was spotted in Hardy Lake near Pillager, seized near the shoreline, authorities said.
July 21, 2016 at 3:54AM
The latest apprehension occurred Tuesday when the Cass County Sheriff's Office was alerted to a small gator in Hardy Lake near Pillager, Minn., authorities said.
Officers responded, spotted the tropical creature near the shoreline, scooped it up and handed it off to the nearby Safari North Wildlife Park.
The Sheriff's Office said it's looking into where this 31-inch-long reptile came from.
On July 9, a few miles east of Hardy Lake, a man riding his bike on a paved trail in Barrows reported seeing a 3-foot-long alligator.
The wildlife park owner soon arrived and made the capture. In that case, the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office said it believed the alligator was someone's pet that either escaped or was released illegally.
Park operator Kevin Vogel said Wednesday that the alligators will remain at his attraction unless a rightful owner makes a claim.
Otherwise, he said, they'll be shipped to gator-friendly Florida once his park closes for the season in late September.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
