CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - A wildlife expert who learned a small alligator had been spotted in the Charles River took matters into his own hands and went out and rescued the gator from the chilly water.
Wildlife educator Joe Kenney said he didn’t know what to expect when he set out to find the alligator.
“I didn’t really expect that I’d be finding it alive because it was so cold,” he said.
Along with his dad, Kenney said he grabbed a flashlight and set off with his dad in search of the gator in the area where it was spotted in a social media post that had gone viral.
“I saw it sitting about three feet from the shoreline in about 18 inches of water,” he recalled.
Kenney said the alligator, a discarded pet, is suffering from a respiratory issue, probably from exposure to the cold.
“People need to know not to do this stuff, it’s not good for the animal, it’s not good for people because it puts people on edge and it puts the animal in a bad light,” he said.
Kenney says he’s permitted to have alligators for his wildlife education program and plans to keep the gator with him until it’s big enough to send south to a sanctuary.
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