Unexpected Visitor Causes a Stir in Boston
A small alligator, approximately one foot long, was rescued from the banks of the Charles River in Boston this week, after multiple sightings turned the reptile into an unlikely social media star. The rescue operation concluded on Wednesday night, bringing a safe end to the saga of the city's slithering visitor.
The Rescue Operation and Public Reaction
The alligator was captured by Joe Kenney, who runs a wildlife education business called Joe's Craz-zy Critters, as confirmed by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife in a statement released on Thursday, 13 November 2025. The animal is now being temporarily housed by Kenney while state officials evaluate a permanent home for it.
Among the residents who spotted the exotic creature was Whitney Lieberman, a Harvard University graduate student. She encountered the alligator while jogging to work and immediately notified the authorities. "Yeah, I did a double-take. For a second, I had to check myself — alligators are not native to Boston waterways, right?" Lieberman recounted. She even texted her co-workers: "'Hey guys, this is a good excuse to be late for work. There is an alligator right in front of me and I don't know what to do.'"
Why the Alligator Was in Danger
The animal's appearance in Boston was a serious cause for concern. Alligators are not native to Massachusetts and are ill-equipped to handle the region's harsh climate. On the day of the rescue, the water temperature in the Charles River was a chilly 51 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius). As cold-blooded animals, alligators cannot regulate their own body temperature and prefer environments warmer than 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).
To survive colder conditions, they enter a dormant state called brumation, but survival in a New England winter was deemed highly unlikely for this small creature. State herpetologist Mike Jones stated that the alligator was most likely a former pet that either escaped or was deliberately released by its owner.
MassWildlife is now collaborating with the Environmental Police to find a suitable permanent home for the alligator as an educational animal. Jones used the incident to remind the public that it is illegal to keep alligators or any crocodilian species as pets in Massachusetts.
This is not the first time an alligator has been found in an unexpected urban setting. A similar incident occurred in the Boston area back in 2010, and a famous alligator named Chance the Snapper was captured in Chicago in summer 2019.
