Authorities are on the lookout for an alligator spotted in Lake Erie, but there's been no sign of it since it was spotted in waters off Erie, Pennsylvania, eight days ago. Officials say they're taking the sighting seriously and believe the reptile could be a pet that somebody released into the lake, the reports. Warning signs have been posted along the Erie waterfront, and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has asked an animal trapper to assist the search.
Experts say alligators can swim up to 20 miles an hour, so it could have traveled a long way along the shoreline. Julie Slomski, executive director of the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority, says no tracks or other traces of the alligator have been found, but "if it's legitimate there are a lot of areas along the water that alligators can hide. It could be scared and hiding.
" Christina Roach, who took video of the alligator, tells that she was visiting the lake with her family when "a man came running over yelling to get out of the water and pointed to the alligator." She says she "immediately yelled for our kids to get out of the water." Trisha Volz with the Erie Reptile Expo says she believes the alligator is around 3 feet long, the reports.
"I have been searching for him almost daily," she says. "It's really tough because there's so many people searching for him.".