Search called off for alligator that went missing in Kansas City’s Northland
Search efforts for the alligator reported missing from a middle school in Kansas City’s Northland have been called off as of Tuesday.
“We have really received not a lot of information regarding this case,” said Tori Fugate, chief communications officer for KC Pet Project. “In the best interests of everybody, everybody’s time and the other cases we are working on right now, we decided to cease on the broad efforts. We will continue to patrol the area.”
The 14-inch gator was brought to the Northland on May 23 by a mobile petting zoo as part of an end-of-year party at Lakeview Middle School. After the little reptile’s big jailbreak, KC Pet Project employees and fire personnel searched the grounds for days, aided by a Kansas City Fire Department drone.
“We had a lot of people out there looking,” Fugate said. “Our officers searched for hours the day after. They were literally covered in ticks from searching all the creek beds around the area.”
No alligator sightings were reported by community members despite multiple pleas, Fugate said. One Northland resident did call about a dead animal on the side of the road over the weekend, which turned out to be a turtle.
Employees routinely search for 30 to 40 missing animals a day, Fugate said.
Alligators can grow to 10-14 feet in length depending on their sex. The one that escaped was 14-inches long and had its mouth taped shut at the time.
Fugate previously told the Star that concerns for the alligator’s welfare were much stronger than any danger posed to the public. Without a way to eat or drink, it is unlikely the alligator could survive in the wild, Fugate said.
Though it’s possible the tape could have come loose, Fugate still isn’t optimistic about the gator’s fate.
However, KC Pet Project has not confirmed that the gator is deceased.
“It does appear that it was electrical tape that maybe it was secured with, so if the tape does get wet, there’s a possibility it could get it off,” Fugate said. “But it is a very small animal, so there are predators that could get it here. There are all sorts of things that could happen to the animal.”
KC Pet Project’s animal control division is still pursuing legal citations against all parties involved, including the mobile petting zoo, which did not have the proper permits, Fugate said.
Alligators are illegal in Kansas City, Missouri.
