Search continues for missing alligator that escaped from Kansas City middle school
The search is ongoing for an alligator that escaped from a middle school in Kansas City’s Northland Thursday.
The 14-inch-long alligator escaped from Lakeview Middle School in the Park Hill School District during an end-of-school celebration. It was last seen in its cage around 11 that morning, according to previous reporting by The Star.
The gator’s mouth is taped shut, and it likely will soon die without access to food or water, rescuers said. It’s believed to have evaded searchers by fleeing into woods near the school, rescuers told The Star.
The Animal Services Division of KC Pet Project, along with the Kansas City Fire Department, searched for the missing alligator last night to no avail, according to KC Pet Project staff.
“We looked for hours,” said KC Pet Project chief communications officer Tori Fugate. “We had the fire department out last night helping us. There were probably 15 people literally like, climbing through bushes trying to find the alligator and there’s no sign of them so far.”
KC Pet Project plans to continue the search for the missing alligator Friday afternoon, but urges residents with any information about the reptile to call KC Pet Project’s 24-hour phone line at 816-683-1373.
A petting zoo brought the reptile into the school without the proper permit, The Star originally reported. As of Friday morning, no citations have been issued against the petting zoo that brought the gator into the school, Fugate said. An investigation into why the zoo did not have the proper permit to bring the missing alligator into the school is still active.
The alligator does not pose a threat to the general public, Fugate said previously in an interview with The Star.
Lakeview Middle School officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
The Star’s Ilana Arougheti contributed to this reporting.
