Long Lake alligator finds new home as rescue gives opportunity in Fond du Lac to safely rehome exotic pets

Daphne Lemke, Fond du Lac Reporter
·3 min read

OSCEOLA - The small American alligator that took a Fourth of July beach weekend at Long Lake will soon be off to a new home.

Earlier this month, J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue of Menasha took in the alligator, and held it for a week to give the owner a chance to come forward.

Someone did come forward, but after some discussion, the rescue and owner decided the alligator would be happier at a sanctuary, according to the rescue's Facebook page.

Now, the alligator arrived in Michigan, where it will stay at reptile rescue Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary, J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue owner John Moyles announced Tuesday.

The Long Lake alligator found swimming over Fourth of July weekend will now stay in a reptile sanctuary in Michigan.
The Long Lake alligator found swimming over Fourth of July weekend will now stay in a reptile sanctuary in Michigan.

J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue set up a Facebook fundraiser to help cover shipping costs, and if any additional money is raised, it will go toward the rescue's other animals.

According to the Facebook page, the alligator was kept in an outdoor cage, but it wasn't properly secured that day. This is one of a few ways alligators end up at a rescue, alongside voluntary surrender and owners leaving them behind, Moyles said.

This was the rescue's fourth alligator since Moyles opened the rescue over two years ago. Though alligators get sent to sanctuaries due to the amount of care they need, the rescue takes in many kinds of aquatic animals and helps them find new homes.

The rescue accepts donations for the care and rehoming of the animals that come in, including a lizard with retained shed in her eyes named Gergit and a ball python with a swollen face named Chiquita.

It also waives adoption fees for accredited zoos, sanctuaries and educational facilities, which is the case for a sand boa heading to the NEW Zoo and Adventure Park.

Overwhelmed with an exotic pet? Surrender it safely in Fond du Lac on Aug. 13

Moyles has worked in the pet industry since 1996, which included exotic pet surrender events in the Fox Valley with Sea Grant.

One of these events is coming to Fond du Lac, with J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue hosting the Exotic Pet Surrender Event 10 a.m. to 1 pm. Aug. 13 at the Fond du Lac Public Library, 32 Sheboygan St.

"Some pet owners that are unable to care for their pet may think that releasing the animal is the right thing to do," Moyles said in a news release. "However, releasing a pet is harmful for the animal and the environment."

Event organizers will accept fish, invertebrates, reptiles, pet birds, exotic small mammals and plants, no questions asked. Domestic animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs and chickens will not be accepted.

Wisconsin Sugar Glider Sanctuary & Rescue, Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance, Winnebago Waterways and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes will join the event, sponsored by Festival Foods and DubiaRoaches.com, a reptile live food and supplies store.

Animal ambassadors will be there to answer any questions, and a photo booth will give visitors an opportunity to take a picture with a rescued pet.

For more information on the event or J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue, email adoptions@jraar.org or visit jraar.org.

Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Long Lake alligator finds new home in Michigan reptile sanctuary