Montreal police are used to chasing down all sorts of suspects, but this was no run-of-the-mill call for the officers on duty – they were busy overnight capturing an escaped reptile.
The metre-long toothy creature -- initially believed to be a good-sized caiman, but was in actuality a juvenile alligator -- was spotted around 1 a.m. Wednesday in an alleyway near Baillargé St. and Liébert St. in the Mercier borough.
Six-year-old Ally the alligator had escaped its owner’s cage Tuesday because he had not been properly placed in a cage after being shown to children.
"My company uses exotic animals for educational purposes,” said alligator owner Emilie Gaudry, whose company of Repti-Zone shows exotic animals to children at schools and parties. “And yesterday an employee came to my house after being at an event, a party, and with all the containers, while I was paying him, and talking about the event, the alligator escaped."
Gaudry said she turned her back only briefly on the aninmal, adding that she was relieved to have him back.
No doubt, so were the residents of the Mercier borough.
Police used recycling and garbage bins to contain the animal, then waited for assistance from the animal shelter Berger Blanc to put the reptile in a cage for transportation to the shelter.
“I came here and I said, ‘Oh my God, we have it.’ So what are we going to do we don't even know if it’s not aggressive?” said Idalberto Machado of Berger Blanc.
Overnight there was much debate about exactly what kind of crocodilian had actually been captured.
While displaying the alligator to reporters, Gaudry said the reptile's teeth are ferocious, but her animal is fairly docile.
"They can be more aggressive in the wild, they will bare their teeth when you approach, but this guy is used to being petted," said Gaudry.
She said she spent all night searching for the animal and didn't call police because it was late and she was just trying to find him. She heard this morning he was at Berger Blanc.
The shelter said it was impressed with the way Gaudry has raised the alligator.
The SPCA's position is quite the opposite.
“The SPCA’s position on the keeping of exotic or wild animals for entertainment purposes is that we are 100 per cent opposed to it. It's very clear in scientific literature that the average pet owner really cannot meet the needs of these animals in captivity,” said Alanna Devine, director of animal advocacy at the SPCA.
Montreal police said Gaudry has all the proper permits, though the ministry responsible for the protection of wildlife is now following up in the matter.
