Humboldt Park

Here's What's Next for Chicago's Alligator, Caught in Humboldt Park Lagoon

Chicago officials stressed Tuesday that the alligator will go somewhere to get "the best chance at a good life."

Now that Chicago's on-the-loose alligator, colloquially referred to as "Chance the Snapper," has been safely caught, what's next for the much-discussed gator?

According to city officials, it's still being discussed.

"Rest assured it will be going to either a zoo or a sanctuary," Kelley Gandurski, executive director of Chicago Animal Care and Control, told reporters Tuesday after the animal's capture. "No harm will come to this gator. It's going to go to a very safe place. We're working out those details still."

Gandurski previously said the city wants the alligator moved to "an appropriate location," which doesn't include the Humboldt Park Lagoon on Chicago Park District land where the gator settled for the past few days. 
 
Officials also said that upon capture, the animal would be taken to the nearest zoo to be seen by a reptile veterinarian.

Gandurski stressed Tuesday that the alligator will go somewhere to get "the best chance at a good life."

For now he remains in the custody of Animal Care and Control.

The alligator was captured overnight by Frank Robb, an alligator expert who owns Crocodilian Specialist Services in Florida. Robb was recommended by local experts in Florida, and arrived in Chicago on Sunday for an examination of the area surrounding the lagoon.

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