Gator on the loose.
A Virginia motel got a surprising visitor the other night when a six-foot alligator was on the loose at a Virginia motel in Fairfax County, just 20 miles outside of Washington, DC.
Fairfax Police responded to the call in the early hours of Monday morning after frantic motel occupants saw the large reptile just feet from their room’s door. Given that alligators are not commonly seen in a place like Virginia, the police bodycam footage provided some comedic relief to the frightening situation.
“D**n! That is an alligator! There is actually an alligator outside the hotel.”
The police officer wearing the camera is heard saying in disbelief.
“Scout 2-10 Alpha. Yeah, there actually is an alligator, uh, outside of the hotel…. Scout 2-10 Alpha, if I lay down next to it, it’s probably about six feet.”
After locating the gator, the police officers and what appears to be a bystander try to herd the alligator to a location where it can be caught. The gator was a surprisingly cooperative suspect, walking alongside the humans, turning his head away, and staying alongside the motel’s wall when encouraged to walk that way.
At one point in the footage, making it more comical, the officer tells a man walking his dog that, given the circumstances, he should consider staying inside.
“Uh, I would bring your dog inside. There’s an alligator over there.”
The person was not worried about their dog at all and wanted to see the scaly beast up close and personal.
“I know! I want to see it.”
While the footage is hilarious, the question remains: How did an alligator get loose in Fairfax County, Virginia? According to the police, and as reported by the New York Post, the gator made a break for it at a rest stop while the owner was transporting it from New York to a zoo in North Carolina.
The gator was eventually reunited with its owner, but because of Fairfax County law, the duo had to be escorted out of the town. According to Virginia Code, “to keep the reptile in any manner that will permit its escape or to knowingly permit the reptile to run at large.” Fairfax County also bans any animals considered exotic, but there is an exception for special circumstances, like elephant riding.
While you cannot keep exotic animals in Fairfax County, it’s a place for pigeon lovers. According to the county website, residents are allowed to have “Racing, homing, or exhibition (fancy) pigeons on lots 10,000 SF or larger.” There’s your fun fact of the day… I didn’t even know there was such a thing as racing pigeons.
At least this gator didn’t find any of these pigeon havens. That would be an all-you-can-eat buffet for the alligator.
