125-pound pet alligator confiscated from Brattleboro home

Posted Monday, March 12, 2007 7:53 am

Monday, March 12

BRATTLEBORO -- Al the alligator, formerly of Clark Street, Brattleboro, is on his way to Florida, "where he can live his life naturally in a swamp atmosphere," according to herpetologist Michael Ralbovsky.

"He'll be much happier down there," Ralbovsky said.

Acting on a tip, officials from the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department removed the 6-foot-4-inch, 125 pound alligator from a home at 31 Clark St. Wednesday afternoon.

The owner of the house, John Carson, and the owner of the alligator, Carson's half-brother Sam Martin, turned the reptile over to officials without resistance.

Though it is illegal to possess an alligator in Vermont without a permit, according to Fish and Wildlife Chief Warden Robert Rooks, the state "didn't charge them for the offense because they were cooperative and they turned it over to us."

"They weren't too happy that they were losing their alligator, but they realized it was getting too big," he said.

The Reformer was unable to reach Carson or Martin for comment.

Vermont Game Warden Richard Watkin said that he and fellow warden Travis Buttle approached the Brattleboro Police Department with a tip that an alligator had recently moved into town.

"They helped take us to an address where we were able to locate the creature of interest," he said.

According to Brattleboro Police Chief John Martin, animal control officer Cathy Barrows was familiar with the reptile in question and was able to lead the wardens to its residence.

Barrows first encountered the alligator in 1996 after its original owner, Joel Martin, was stabbed to death in an apartment in downtown Brattleboro, according to Chief Martin.

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After Joel Martin's death, Barrows and another officer checked with Fish and Wildlife to determine whether it was legal for Martin's brother, Sam, to keep the pet.

"(Barrows) was told at the time that, more than likely, if it was bought in the pet store and had been domesticated, it was okay," Chief Martin said.

Subsequently, Sam and his alligator moved out of Brattleboro, "and it's been out of our town for years, as far as we know," said Chief Martin, who added that he believed the laws regarding exotic pets had changed in the interim.

So on Wednesday morning, when the game wardens came looking for an alligator, Barrows knew where to look.

"Cathy surmised that if it was back in town that it was likely at his half brother's house -- John Carson -- or the mother's house on Clark Street," Chief Martin said.

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After visiting the elder Carsons' house, the game wardens and Ralbovsky -- an expert who trains state wildlife agents to handle exotic animals -- made contact with the brothers and entered John Carson's house.

According to Ralbovsky, the alligator was kept in a wood and plexiglas enclosure in the basement.

"It was adequate, but it didn't have a big pool of water like you'd want to have for an alligator," he said. "It was very dry, but it wasn't in distress. It was very well fed. I think they did as good a job as anybody could without experience in crocodilians."

With Buttle's help, Ralbovsky was able to detain the animal without incident, according to Watkin.

"The alligator was basking underneath some heat lamps. It did move and it did hiss, but the event was pretty quick the way (Ralbovsky) handled it," Watkin said.

"I guess there's a method to it. He came from the rear of the creature and was down on one knee whilst grasping the mouth of the alligator," Watkin said.

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"All I did was walk up behind him. He could have lashed out at me but he didn't," Ralbovsky said.

"I walked around the side of him to the back and pulled the weight of the animal between my legs so that the momentum of him going backwards would prevent him from biting me. And I just sat my weight down on top of him and pushed my fingers up over his eyes to close them and held his mouth shut so I could get the tape on him," he said.

With Buttle's help, Ralbovksy carried the alligator to his truck and drove it to a facility in Massachusetts.

"He will go to a sanctuary once I feel he's in good condition," Ralbovsky said. The alligator will likely end up at St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Zoological Park in Florida, he said.

Alligator ownership is not uncommon in Vermont, according to Chief Warden Robert Rooks.

"We usually end up seizing one or two alligators a year," he said. "There's a trend in ownership of exotic wildlife. In the past few years it's become an increasing problem for us. You can literally get on the internet, order anything you can imagine, and have it shipped to your doorstep."

Ted Edson, whose alligator "Wally" was seized two years ago by Fish and Wildlife officials, said that he knows of several alligators in town.

"A lot of people got them around, but everybody keeps their mouths shut," he said. "Everybody knows everybody who's got all this stuff."

But according to Ralbovsky, an alligator Al's size "has the ability to do a lot of damage to a person."

"Would it have gotten out of that house and hurt someone? Probably not. But that potential is always there," he said. "It's a public safety issue. It's like having a loaded gun."

Paul Heintz can be reached at pheintz@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 275.