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Rhode Island Birder Spots Alligator in Pond

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Rhode Island birder Dan Cinotti was scanning Sisson Pond for birds and instead caught sight of an alligator sunning itself on a rock.

Photo credit: Dan Cinotti
As of August 30th it was still seen in the pond, and DEM officials still were not able to capture it. To further complicate matters, the southern area of the pond where it has been spotted is considered private so unless the owners request its removals, DEM is not under obligation to return to try and capture it. For more information read the full article here: http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/update-alligator-to-stay-at-sisson-pond

It's quite sad because obviously the alligator cannot survive a winter in the pond. I hope someone is able to capture it and deliver it to a refuge or zoo. All because some idiot tried to keep it as a pet and released it once it got too big... Speaking of which, anyone remember the move Alligator (1980)? Great movie.

Click here to watch the Turnto10.com video: http://portsmouth.patch.com/articles/update-alligator-to-stay-at-sisson-pond#video-1418970

I recently went birding in Rhode Island with my BwBTC (birders who blog, tweet, chirp) group, but fortunately we didn't encounter any alligators! I did see a huge snapping turtle sticking its beak out of the water to breathe (while at Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge, another popular RI bird watching spot), but that was the largest reptile spotted.

Check back for pictures from the BwBTC trip- uploaded but certainly not sorted through yet... I'm getting there :)
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Comments

Jen Sanford said…
Wow that would be an unnerving find while birding!
August 31, 2010 at 6:33:00 AM PDT
Dan Huber said…
Looking forward to seeing your pictures :)

dan
August 31, 2010 at 5:06:00 PM PDT
Dawn Fine said…
Oh my..Hope they capture the poor thing.
Looking forward to your photos of the BwBTC outing.
September 2, 2010 at 10:42:00 AM PDT
Larry said…
I guess this is the real deal.I thought you might be pranking me back for doing a bogus post.is it really an alligator or is it just a "crock"?
September 2, 2010 at 2:50:00 PM PDT
Cathleen Voss said…
@Jen- it certainly would! Imagine stepping around the perimeter of a pond and stumbling upon a sunning alligator?

@Dan- haha- coming soon. I have some good ones, it's just such a big batch I never seem to have the time to sit down and do it.

@Dawn- I believe they did, and put it on foster care? Yes! Very, very soon I'll have BwBTC pics up.

@Larry- Sad, but true. It was the real thing. It's a shame people will just abandon animals they know can't survive in the environment they leave them in.
October 5, 2010 at 6:53:00 AM PDT
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