After a week of evading capture, an alligator that was seen swimming in a Chicago lagoon has been captured thanks to a Florida man.
The alligator, dubbed “Chance the Snapper,” is at least 4 feet long and has been lurking in Humboldt Park lagoon since it was spotted on July 9. The elusive reptile has captured local and national curiosity given its unusual location. It is believed that Chance may have been a pet that was released into the pond.
After days of failing to catch Chance, including with the assistance of a man who goes by the name “Alligator Bob,” expert Frank Robb of Florida, was called in to help capture the gator. Robb owns Crocodilian Specialist Services in St. Augustine, Florida.
Robb’s first move Sunday was to close sections of the park in order to reduce noise that might have been spooking Chance into hiding. It appears his tactic worked, as Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi announced Tuesday that the gator had been caught humanely and was in good health.
Guglielmi said further details about Chance and how the reptile was caught would be released later Tuesday.
A viewer named Rencie Horst-Ruiz sent us these photos of an apparent alligator in Humboldt Park this AM #Chicago pic.twitter.com/uW866EYX6R
— Rafer Weigel (@RaferWeigel) July 9, 2019
