There Are Thousands of Pet Alligators in Michigan?!

So this was a fact that I didn't know until this week with a report that a pet alligator was hit by a truck earlier in the week. I figured some people may have pet alligators, since a family friend of mine in Florida has two, I just didn't know that apparently there are thousands of pet alligators in Michigan, according to WLNS and published reports.

So if you missed this crazy story earlier in the week, MLive reports, that a 5 foot long and 21 year old alligator owned by a local family, named Wally, was hit by an unknown driver. The accident happened at West Mount Hope Highway and South Creyts Road in Eaton County’s Delta Township around 12:33 a.m. on Thursday. If you are wondering how an alligator was just roaming the streets, it apparently escaped. This was a fairly weird story since I usually don't think alligators would like our Michigan climate, but we have lots of swamps and lakes so maybe that's why.

Anyway after that report I figured we would never hear something like again but now later on Thursday a second Alligator was found. This time it was a 3-foot-long alligator found in a backyard in Hanover Township. Don't worry the alligator wasn't harmed and you won't be able to have that alligator as a pet as it will go to the Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary, to live out its life. You can see more on that here. 

But I'm still wondering how I haven't seen more alligators or alligator related incidents before, since so many live here. Maybe they look both ways before crossing or they just hang out around their house.