The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Residents on the look out for possible alligator
Augusta residents asked keep cautious, take pictures
By Dan DuChene, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: August 16, 2007
An Augusta Township lake has made a large ripple in the community as several residents have reported seeing an alligator.
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Lake Lenore, at 23 acres and an 18-foot depth, is the largest of several man-made lakes along Bemis Road. There are 19 homes on the western and northern shores of the lake. In the lake, residents have reported seeing a five-foot reptile, but aren't sure if the animal is a crocodile or an alligator.
Paul Sexton is the head of the lake association and owns 10 acres of property on the lake.
"I was skeptical at first," he said Sunday, "Until today."
Sexton said he was convinced when another resident called him to her house before noon on Sunday and said bring a camera. There, 100 yards out into the lake, Sexton said he saw the animal.
"It looked like a log swimming around," he said. "But, there was no way in heck this was a log."
Brownish-gray in color, Sexton said the animal was swimming in circles and diving into the water. He took a photo, but the picture was taken at such a distance that the image is blurry.
Before taking the picture and witnessing the animal with his own eyes, Sexton said he had found odd tracks near the lake on his property. Made by a side-pushing motion, he thought they were made by whatever was in the lake.
Officers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, members of the press and curious neighbors have been at Sexton's house since Wednesday, when a resident called the Washtenaw County Sheriff upon seeing the animal while fishing on Lake Lenore.
"I saw two lights swimming in the water," said Marva Jo Davis, 71, who had spotted the animal about a month ago from the backdoor of her home at night.
She said she had told her son what she saw, and he told her not to tell anyone.
However, her 43-year-old son called the sheriff after he saw the animal while fishing. He and his cousin were debating whether they were looking at two turtles or a log, when they noticed what it was.
One if two officers on the case, Josh Wright said the DNR has spent about 10 hours searching the lake, talking to the Detroit Zoo and fielding questions.
"We're not saying yes or no at this point," Wright said.
With no confirmed evidence of the creature, the DNR is looking for firm proof of its existence, but also a way to identify what the animal is.
"We need to know what we're dealing with," Wright said Sunday.
Likely a former pet, the animal reportedly loose in the lake is causing some concern among the lake's residents. Several expressed concern for children and pets swimming in the lake. Wright said precaution should be taken, but the DNR is not keeping people out of the water.
Because alligators are not native to Michigan, Wright said DNR officers are not trained to deal with them. He said the department has been in contact with the Detroit Zoo and natural resource departments in Florida and Louisiana.
Mark Rosenthal, a Belleville resident, is a licensed exotic animal rescuer, and has helped several law enforcers by catching alligators and crocodiles, some larger than what has been reported from Lake Lenore.
Though often illegal, Rosenthal said people buy alligators as pets and find the animal is difficult to care for when they become too large. He said whoever released the animal probably wouldn't report it because they knew it was against the law to own.
"That's a pretty big alligator," Rosenthal said when he learned the animal could be 5 feet long. He said at that length, it could weigh 100 pounds.
Opportunistic eaters, Rosenthal said alligators tend to sun themselves during the day, as the animal is cold-blooded. He said they eat when food comes by.
"They normally do not go after people," he said. "Watch your kids, watch your small animals, but you're going to be watching them anyway."
When asked if he would take any special precaution if he lived on the lake, Rosenthal said no. He said he would watch his children and pets anyway, and the animal probably wouldn't attack an adult unless it was provoked or threatened.
Though he said he could catch the animal if it were on land, Rosenthal said it would be hard to draw the animal out of the lake.
"A lot of people play pranks," he said, "I'm real skeptical."
Upon inspecting the photos taken by Sexton, Rosenthal said the object in the pictures is neither an alligator nor a crocodile.
"The brown floating thing is definitely a log," he said in an email. "It doesn't resemble a gator or croc in any way, shape or from."
But, skeptics aside, residents on the lake are firm in their sightings. Sexton said he knows what he saw wasn't a log.
"They are young men, they know what they saw," Davis said of her son and his cousin. "I know what I saw."
Both Rosenthal and Wright said residents should try and get a picture of the animal, but not to bait their yard, as it could cause more frequent visits when the property is associated with as a food source.
If a clear picture of the animal is taken, Wright said the DNR would search the lake. He said the department would do its best to capture the animal un-harmed, but might have to "put it down," as a last resort option.
Residents are asked to call the DNR poaching line if they spot the creature or get a picture. The number to dial is 1-800-292-7800.
Rosenthal said any one interested in more information should visit his web page at www.iwantanimalmagic.com.
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