Alligator evicted from Illinois man's home
Charles Price kept his exotic pet for more than 26 years
A six-foot alligator kept in a suburban Illinois home for 26 years was removed Saturday by authorities, WLS reports.
Conservation officers and an alligator specialist wrangled the 200-lb reptile, which was discovered by an appliance repairman.
The repairman snapped pictures of the animal after noticing movement inside a container in resident Charles Price’s basement, and contacted animal control officers, Sgt. Bill Shannon of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources' told WLS.
Price is charged with misdemeanor unlawful possession of an endangered species, as it's illegal for people to own alligators without a permit. The American Alligator is native to Florida and endangered in Illinois.
Neighbors were reportedly unware the animal was living there. Price would periodically put it out into his backyard, but most of the time it was caged, Shannon added.
Price got the American alligator at a swap in Kankakee, Illinois, when
it was a baby, Shannon added.
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