An alligator that was allegedly stolen from a zoo as an egg or hatchling has returned after living for more than 20 years in a woman’s private backyard. The alligator named Tewa was recently relocated after it was discovered the reptile had been living in a residential backyard near Austin, Texas, USA, without proper permits.
Videos shared by Texas Game Wardens show the approximately 8-foot alligator being carried into the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo in New Braunfels. The agency said: “A special thank you to the team at Animal World and Snake Farm for assisting with the recent alligator relocation in Central Texas.
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“With our combined knowledge and experience, the transition was seamless.”
In a follow up from the zoo, a staffer explained that the woman who kept the alligator is believed to have been a volunteer at the zoo decades before. They said: "[She] apparently stole this alligator, either the egg or the hatchling alligator at the time, put it in their pocket and took off.”
