A team of Sheboygan County sheriff’s deputies and city police officers corralled this alligator in a ditch near the Sheboygan River on Sunday. Credit: Sheboygan County Sheriff's Office

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No wrestling was required Sunday morning to subdue a 4-foot-long alligator on the loose in Sheboygan County.

A team of sheriff's deputies and Sheboygan police officers corralled and snared the snarling reptile in a ditch near the Sheboygan River after a brief search that started in the 2700 block of Indiana Ave. in the city of Sheboygan, Sheriff's Sgt. Matt Spence said Sunday.

The sheriff's office received a call around 10:30 a.m. Sunday of an alligator sighting in that block, east of S. Taylor Drive, Spence said.

After the gator's snout was taped shut for the officers' safety, the animal was turned over to a conservation warden with the state Department of Natural Resources, according to Spence.

When warden Mike Clutter arrived, the officers already had the alligator in a dog kennel and ready for transport, Clutter said.

The reptile is temporarily in the care of the Pine View Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in the Town of Fredonia until a zoo or other permanent home can be found, Clutter said.

The animal likely was released recently by an owner who might have purchased it from a pet store or dealer, according to Clutter. "It would not have survived the winter out there," he said.

The incident remains under investigation. No information was available on why the alligator was released at that location.