Police call turns up 'Wally,' a big alligator, in basement in Carthage

by The Associated Press

Police call turns up 'Wally,' a big alligator, in basement in Carthage
» 0 Comments

Story Published: Apr 9, 2008 at 10:36 AM CST

Story Updated: Apr 9, 2008 at 5:47 PM CST

By Gene Hartley

CARTHAGE, Mo. -- Zookeepers from Springfield helped police after officers discovered a man-sized alligator in the basement of a home on Monday. Police found the American alligator, which is being called Wally, while responding to a call about an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Carthage animal control officer called two zookeepers from Dickerson Park Zoo. They covered the alligator's eyes with a towel, taped its mouth shut and carried it upstairs.

The 6 1/2-foot alligator is at the Carthage Humane Society until a permanent home can be found. One zookeeper said, because the American alligator was taken off the endangered-species list in 1987, it has become common to sell the babies in pet stores and outdoor markets.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 500 Characters Left

Comments are screened for curse words and other inappropriate comments, and won't appear until they're reviewed. However, this is not the place to leave a message for someone in the newsroom. If you wish to contact KY3 News, please do so at our Contact Us section (http://www.ky3.com/about/contact).

KY3 and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

Please post comments in upper and lower case typing.

Weather

More Weather

On Demand

Stock Quotes
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

AP Video