Alligator Caught After A Week-Long Search Around Chicago's Humboldt Park Lagoon

Authorities in Chicago were able to find an alligator that had eluded them for several days in one of the city’s lagoons.

The male alligator had been lurking around Chicago’s Humboldt Park Lagoon for nearly a week, evading authorities that had flocked to the area day over day. While at the time it wasn’t known how it got there, investigators came to believe the gator was a pet that someone abandoned by the lagoon.

After a week of failed attempts to catch it, authorities brought in alligator trapper Frank Robb to replace the volunteer trapper.

During one of the overnight searches, Robb was walking the shoreline when he heard movement near the bank. He looked around and noticed the alligator nearby, nestled among lily pads with his eyes shining above the water. It dropped back into the water, but Robb was able to quickly catch it after casting one hook from his fishing rod.

“The second I put my hands on him, the hook fell out,” Robb said during a news conference Tuesday. He also said the gator “put up a little fight,” but he was able to get a tight grip on him.

“Everybody’s got different blessings, this is mine,” Robb continued. “This is what I’ve spent every day of my life doing for the last 24 years.”

“The Humboldt Park alligator has captured the imaginations of the entire city of Chicago and beyond and has united residents who have been following this story for the last week,” Chicago Animal Care and Control said in a press release on Tuesday.

Joggers and park-goers returned to Humboldt Park on Tuesday morning after authorities opened it back up to the public.