Oregon State Police recently rescued an alligator that was being kept as a pet in Springfield.
The police posted about the alligator on social media and said it had been a family pet for about 13 years. Possession of an alligator is prohibited by state law except by permitted wildlife rehabilitation centers and USDA licensed educational or research facilities.
The alligator was in poor health and was not being kept in adequate conditions, police said. They noted that a healthy alligator should be dark green while this one is a whitish color. It was sent to a rehabilitation center where it will spend the rest of its life.
Police ended the social media post on a lighter note: “Science tip: You can distinguish an alligator from a crocodile by paying attention to whether the animal sees you later or after a while #dadjokes”
