Backroads was in the news a couple days ago. The city news, at least. A St. Louis station sent a reporter down to give a live report. What could be of interest in li'l ol' Backroads?
AN ALLIGATOR IN BACKROADS LAKE!
I drive by that lake all the time on my way to or from School-Turn Town, to visit The Pony, or when returning from my Thursday errand day over in Sis-Town. It's fairly unremarkable. There are usually people walking on the blacktop trail around its circumference. People fishing from the little platform made for such an activity. We used to go over there when HOS (Hick's Oldest Son) and The Veteran were young, on a different (roofed) platform about a quarter of the way around the lake, to throw in a line for fishing. Sometimes it was underwater from the rains. But mostly, only turtles took our bait.
Anyhoo... the newsworthy report was not a big surprise. Of course alligators are not naturally-occurring in Backroads. But people DO have them as "pets," and grow tired of them. No sewers here to dump them in. So I can believe one got "set free" at this lake.
On the news, a local guy who runs a pet shop was at the lake, with a fishing pole and a bag, trying to catch that alligator! He did not succeed. Reports of the original sighting said the alligator was two feet long. The woman reporter from the news station said THEY saw it (a brief video), and it was closer to three feet long.
The local police department gave a statement that if you see it, don't try to catch it. No worries there! I most certainly won't try to capture an alligator. I don't think it's all that dangerous. Maybe a bite, but The Pony has probably suffered worse from dogs on his mail route. How much damage can a three-foot alligator inflict? I'm pretty sure it couldn't grab my ample rumpus and subject me to a death roll.
Anyhoo... the pet store guy said that if you catch the alligator, to call him, and he'll take it. The local police said to call them if you see it.
I'm not all that worried. Nobody swims in that lake. Winter will take care of that alligator.
What next? I'm proud to live in Missouri. But I must admit, it has become the Florida of the midwest! And not in a good way! In a tabloid news sort of way.
You have an exciting life...lol. I think that alligator might try a death roll and succeed. All it has to do is get you off balance in water. I would certainly drown. I lived in the bootheel of Missouri once, the only time I lived out of the South and then for only a year. The only thing remarkable was combines in the Christmas parade.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure I outweigh a 3-foot alligator, and I'm quite buoyant thanks to my ample rumpus! That poor alligator would exhaust himself before killing me. I will take nothing remarkable over fire ants any day.
DeleteAlligators at st. Louis? That is truly amazing. I hope no person tried to selfie with the alligator. Yellowstone has had some stupid tourists.
ReplyDeleteThis is south of St. Louis. That's where the reporter for the news station came from. There's no swimming at this lake, and the alligator was out in the water. So a selfie would have been safe enough, over their shoulder from the bank.
DeleteOh my. St. Louis? That is just crazy. People do that, and it never ends well for the pet. My nephew found a frozen alligator that had tried to escape winter, in Chicago. He took the creature to his work and placed it under 2nd story windows. Then he left when the screaming began.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good prank, I guess, depending on the size of the alligator!
DeleteI recall that alligator mouths and teeth are far larger than dogs mouths and teeth, so a bite from one could be worse. I think having one as a pet should be illegal. Here in Australia it is illegal to own any of the native animal species unless you are a licensed zoo. I think the one exception is the little budgerigars, the smallest of the parrot family, but I don't know anyone now who does have one. I hope the alligator is caught and taken to a safer place.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe a 3-foot alligator wouldn't be THAT bad! I'll tell The Pony to beware. It's in his delivery area! In fact, I just got a text from him that the alligator is still loose. The Pony says he does the houses on the other side of the street, but the one right next to the lake has no box.
DeleteGoogle says alligators are legal as pets in Missouri, and only have to be registered with the health department if they are more than 8 feet long! Once again, proving my suspicion that Missouri is the new Florida!
It wouldn't surprise me if that pet store guy goes back to try and catch it. He seemed like the kind of guy who appreciates such an animal, but he's probably thinking of selling it!