Unexpected visitor: Alligator discovered on Lake Michigan beach
MILWAUKEE (WLUK) — While chilly November temperatures in Wisconsin typically don't draw in crowds at the beach, residents in southern Milwaukee spotted a usual sunbather this week.
On Monday, officers with the South Milwaukee Police Department were called to Grant Park along Lake Michigan for a report of an alligator sighting.
Members of the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC) were able to take the gator safely into custody. The gator is staying with MADACC.
It's still a mystery how the alligator ended up on a Wisconsin beach.
While alligators are not native to Wisconsin, DNR Amphibian/Reptile Biologist Rori Paloski says the state typically gets one sighting report a year of an alligator.
Experts say the chances of an alligator surviving a Wisconsin winter is very unlikely so alligator sightings in the state are either escaped pets or pets that were intentionally released.