Reptil in Lower Saxony: Vechta is looking for Alligator

In Vechta in Lower Saxony, the search for a possibly exposed alligator is running. The animal was sighted and filmed by a young man in a rainwater retention basin on Friday, said a spokesman for the city administration of the German Press Agency. Experts would have found the video to be real after intensive examination. The search for the reptile started on Saturday, so far unsuccessful. The “Oldenburg Volkszeitung” and the NDR had previously reported on it.

As a precaution, the area in which the animal is supposed to stay was closed on Friday, said the spokesman. On Saturday, the approximately 2.5 hectare area was searched twice from the air by drone. Nothing was found. Now an attempt is being made to capture the animal with a live trap – with a dead rat as a bait. If this does not succeed, the water from the retention basin must be drained off if necessary.

According to the video recordings, the alligator is an 80 to 100 centimeter young animal. It probably comes from illegal breeding, the city spokesman said. There are no reports about a missing alligator from legal stocks. According to experts, the animal is very shy and hide from people. The city spokesman said that the reptil said that there is therefore no danger to humans and pets.