ATHENS, Ohio —  Arrangements are being made so a young 'gator found wandering in Bobcat country can be sent to more hospitable Florida.

Police said an alligator a little over 2 feet long was found early Wednesday on a street in Athens — home to the Ohio University Bobcats.

The director of the Hocking College nature center was called in to round up the reptile. Dave Sagan said he suspects the gator was a student's pet and was either left behind or escaped.

The wildlife expert said the alligator is about a year old and weighs two pounds but is the type that could grow to more than 400 pounds.

Sagan said if the alligator hadn't turned up before the winter, the cold would have killed it. He's planning to ship it to a facility in Florida that will release it into the wild.