Coldblooded critter found wandering in Thousand Oaks
By Nancy Needham  nancy@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SOMEBODY'S PET?- -An alligator sits in a cage at the Agoura Animal Shelter on Friday. It was found in the vicinity of Erbes and Pederson roads in Thousand Oaks on Thurs. night, Oct. 18. It's doubtful the owner will come forward and re-adopt his reptile.

A baby alligator spotted walking down the street in Thousand Oaks has found a new home at a permitted facility for animal actors in Ventura County. Maybe he'll even be a movie star someday.

An alligator of similar size, found in the same area of Thousand Oaks, was taken to the animal actor facility about three months ago.

Originally placed inside the locked sick cat room of the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter, the recently discovered baby alligator had its stay extended a few days due to the fires plaguing the area.

Nobody at the California Department of Fish and Game had time to find a new home for the 2½-foot alligator, Fish and Game spokesperson Harry Morse explained.

"Alligators are a non-native species. We are not set up to deal with alligators," Morse said.

The 40 officers in Southern California were focused on the native wildlife being displaced and in danger because of the fires, he said. The officers coordinate with fire and police during emergencies.

The alligator lost his freedom last Friday when he was spotted walking down the street near the intersection of Pederson and Erbes roads. It was caught by Ventura County Dep. Jason Fuller, who couldn't believe it when he got the call reporting an alligator sighting.

"He thought it was a bogus call," Detective Eric Buschow said.

But there it was. At first Fuller thought he'd just wait for Animal Control to arrive. Then he realized the alligator had to be restrained or it might get away. So he grabbed its snout--which sported 80 sharp teeth--and taped its mouth shut. He used a hobble restraint device designed for uncooperative humans to control the reptile since he had no official alligator restraining items with him.

Animal Control arrived and took the alligator to the shelter, where it was put in a cage with the water-filled bottom half of a plastic kitty litter box. It sat perfectly still, looking like a lawn statue, possibly smelling the nearby cats and hoping for a tasty dinner.

Fish and Game officials would ordinarily call zoos and other places with permits to house alligators to find a new home for the creature. But worrying about an alligator, safe in a shelter, was not a first priority this weekend, Morse said.

"It's illegal for someone without a permit to keep an alligator," said Kyle Orr, a Fish and Game spokesperson.

No one knows where the alligator came from or how he got to Thousand Oaks, Orr said.

"It's rare, but not unheard of, to have an alligator in California," Orr said. "He didn't arrive (in T.O.) alone. Someone released him," Morse said.

If he belonged to someone who wanted him, that person would be calling around looking for their alligator, Morse said.

"Nobody is trying to find him," Morse said.