Alligator Fishing

[bttmline]

There is an alligator roaming the Tuscarawas river around Newcomerstown, Ohio. There has been pics in the Times-Reporter for the last 2 days so this isn't a hoax. I wonder if gator like RoadRunners. Check it out.

GATOR HUNT - New Philadelphia, OH - The Times-Reporter

[galvatron]

link don't work

[Yates]

link don't work

By Joe Mizer
The Times-Reporter
Posted Jul 10, 2009 @ 12:15 AM

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NEWCOMERSTOWN, OH — An elusive alligator in the Tuscarawas River at the Rt. 258 bridge near Newcomerstown caused quite a stir as efforts to capture it intensified Thursday.

“We’ve got a dilemma,” said Tuscarawas County Sheriff Walt Wilson, after he was at the scene for about two hours. Not only is he concerned with the safety of people swimming or fishing in the river, he’s also concerned for the safety of people on the bridge.

“We had people stopping on the bridge and walking on the bridge,” Wilson said. He added that it created a dangerous situation for pedestrians and traffic.

The alligator, estimated to be about 4 feet long, was seen earlier in the day sunning itself on a log in the river but went into hiding before the sheriff arrived at about 1 p.m. Wilson said he saw photographs that were taken by Newcomerstown Police Chief Tim Miller, who apparently was aware of the reptile on Monday.

The sheriff’s department was notified about the reptile by a Newcomerstown area resident late Wednesday afternoon. Wilson said a deputy was sent at that time but was unable to locate it.

Wilson said he contacted the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife and was told “they have no jurisdiction because it is an exotic animal.”

ODNR’s advice, Wilson said, was to let nature take its course, because the alligator won’t survive the winter. “But I have concern because kids swim in the river there and people fish there,” he said.

So he had a department dispatcher call the Akron Zoo and was informed that it is not legal for zoos to accept alligators. But zoo officials did refer the sheriff’s department to Arrowhead Reptile Rescue Center near Cincinnati.

Wilson said rescue center officials told him that they would not send anyone to the county.

“We have to catch and deliver it,” he said.

So, Bolivar resident Ann Swain, a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator, and Ken Griffith, an assistant county dog warden (on his own time), went to the area Thursday night to try to catch the reptile.

Swain also authored the book “Why is There an Alligator in my Hot Tub?”

The sheriff added that officials don’t know where the alligator came from or who the owner might be.

Newcomerstown Ptl. Mark Stahovec, who also was at the scene Thursday, said a large portion of the bridge has been cordoned off for safety. He added that people were throwing meat from the bridge to the alligator.

Shawn Parks, who supplied The Times-Reporter with photographs, said he only saw one alligator but had heard that some people were saying there were two with the second being about 6 feet long.

Parks said he saw two men jump in the river and swim over to try and get the smaller alligator, but someone on the bridge scared it off by throwing rocks at it. He also confirmed that people were throwing meat off the bridge to feed the alligator.

In Florida, it is against the law to feed alligators because of the worry that alligators will associate humans as a food source. Normally, alligators shy from humans.

Griffith said neither he nor Swain saw the alligator Thursday night and the search was called off about 9:30. He added that many people still were gathered at the site and some were attempting to feed it – which is further hindering the attempts to trap it.

“We’re just hoping people will leave it alone,” Griffith said. “The more they feed it, they are just hurting it ... and if it isn’t caught it will die,” he added.

[galvatron]

it knew the cops were coming.. so i went into the water

[galvatron]

seriously i wouldn't want to be no where near where there's a gator where i fish

[foul hook]

20lb trilene, 5/0or 6/0 hook with a plastic worm. Lay it on his nose and get a holt. The only problem that you will have is what to do with him when he gets to the boat. A 4 footer is no match for that rig. NO BULL!!!!!

[limbhook]

Somebody needs to step up and say we need to get the gator out of these waters and go ahead and do it, but chances are they will set back and wait and do nothing until it hurts someone and then start pointing fingers. The DNR has no assurance that the coming winter will take care of the problem.

[Hillbilly910]

somebody snagged a 3 foot gator in the LMR(i think thats where it was), read about it on another ohio forum.

Hope noboy sets turtle lines in that river, might be a shocker to pull a gator up outta the water instead of a big snapping turtle.

HB

[Yates]

Springboro, Ohio (ap) _ Wildlife Officials Say A Black Bear

Roaming Southwest Ohio Probably Doesn't Know Where He's Going But Will Likely Find His Way Back To Kentucky Or West Virginia If Left Alone. People At A Medical Clinic Near Springboro Spotted The Bear On Wednesday. State Officials Think It's The Same One That Was Ambling Through Adams, Brown And Clinton Counties Earlier In June, And Was

Seen At A Girl Scout Camp In Warren County Last Week.

Some States Have So Many Black Bears That They Allow A Hunting Season. Ohio Has Relatively Few, And Very Seldom Are They Seen As Far Southwest As The Counties Just North Of Cincinnati. Division Of Wildlife Spokesman Todd Haines Says Sometimes Several Years Go By Without A Black Bear Sighting In That Region

[galvatron]

i heard about that