Baby Gator Rescued From Boston River

A baby alligator that somehow ended up in Boston's Charles River was rescued by a local animal educator before the cold could claim it. The reptile, spotted earlier in the week and caught on camera by witnesses, was captured Wednesday night by Joseph Kenney of Joe's Crazzy Critters, an animal education business, UPI reports. Kenney said he had just finished an interview with NBC Boston when a new tip about the gator's location came in. He rushed to the river, where he found the alligator tucked into reeds along the edge of the water. "He was just tucked in and laying on the bottom," Kenney told the station.

"With the cold temps, the alligator had very low chances of surviving. With some luck and a couple of bright flashlights after 15 minutes I found the Boston alligator," Kenney said in an Instagram post. "I was able to capture him safely and he will be warm and housed until we get more information and instructions on what's next for this little guy." Kenney hopes the reptile will find a new role as an animal ambassador for his educational programs. Authorities say Kenney has been authorized to keep the alligator at his business for now. The alligator is a foot long and currently harmless to humans, though adults can be more than 11 feet long.

Harvard grad student Whitney Lieberman tells the AP that she notified authorities after spotting the alligator earlier this week. "Yeah, I did a double-take. For a second, I had to check myself—alligators are not native to Boston waterways, right?" Lieberman says. "I texted my coworkers because I had a morning meeting: 'Hey guys, this is a good excuse to be late for work. There is an alligator right in front of me and I don't know what to do.'"

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Kenney believes the alligator is a pet, possibly bought on impulse, that escaped or was intentionally released. "This incident serves as an important reminder that it is not legal to keep alligators or any crocodilian species as pets in Massachusetts," state herpetologist Mike Jones said in a statement.