Officers from the Blackman-Leoni Township public safety department captured a six-foot alligator off M-50 this morning.

Police were dispatched to Pathway Community Church, 5225 Clinton Road, at approximately 11:35 a.m. Monday for a report of an alligator roaming the property. A passerby claimed to have seen it from the roadway, Deputy Director Jon Johnston said in a release.

When they arrived, they located a six-foot North American alligator and slipped a noose around its head before placing duct tape around the mouth. A male passerby from Charlotte, who said he owns an alligator, stopped to help officers capture the animal.

Arrangements have been made to transport the alligator to a sanctuary in Athens, Johnston said.

"With the size of the alligator and its good health, zoo officials estimate that it probably was just recently released into the wild," Johnston said in the release. "With freezing temperatures coming, the alligator would not have been able to survive long."

Animal control, the Potter Park Zoo and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were consulted before the alligator was sent to the sanctuary.