(Casa Grande, AZ) - A routine traffic stop by an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer proved
to be anything but routine when a trailer full of alligators, snakes and other
animals was discovered. The Arizona Game and Fish Department was immediately
called in to help.DPS stopped a San Bernadino, Calif. man near Casa Grande at 11 p.m. April 17
for an equipment violation (tail light out). The man told the officer that he
and his wife were relocating from California to Georgia. The DPS officer asked
and received permission to search the triple-axle fifth-wheel trailer being
towed behind the man's truck. The officer found a surprise: the trailer was full
of alligators and other animals.
The DPS officer called the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Two wildlife
officers and a biologist arrived on the scene to discover 32 alligators and
three desert tortoises, along with 30 boa constrictors, various chickens and
even some rabbits. It took hours to safely process all the animals.
"We kept finding alligators hidden in every nook and cranny of the trailer.
None of the alligators had their jaws taped closed, so we had to be very careful
handling them. It got pretty hairy at times," said Wildlife Officer Ken
Dinquel.
Officer Dinquel cited the man for possessing the alligators without proof of
legality. Alligators are listed as restricted live wildlife in Arizona. It is
not legal to hold them in the state without a special holding permit. It is
legal to transport them across the state but only if the person doing the
transporting can show that he or she is in legal possession of the animals. In
this case, the man had no paperwork in his possession relating to the
reptiles.
The department seized the following:
- One 8.8-foot alligator
- One 6.5-foot alligator
- One 6-foot alligator
- One 5-foot alligator
- 27 alligators between 20 inches and 3.5 feet
- Three desert tortoises
The confiscated alligators and desert tortoises were taken to the Phoenix
Herpetological Society for holding pending the outcome of the case. The
Herpetological Society has built special ponds just for alligators and closely
works with the department to provide a secure location to hold such reptiles.
Russell Johnson with the Herpetological Society said they had already begun
work on some additional ponds prior to the incident Sunday night, but they did a
mad scramble on Monday to finish those ponds and construct some others to hold
the additional 32 alligators. The Herpetological Society was already holding 28
large aquatic reptiles, including alligators, caimans and crocodiles, for the
department.
It takes a lot of money to keep the facility going and to feed all the
animals. Those interested in making donations to the Herpetological Society can
call (602) 550-1090.
