Wayward Kiski River alligator headed to new home after capture
Apollo-area officials and volunteers are celebrating the successful and safe capture Sunday of an alligator living in the Kiski River.
The gator, nicknamed “Chomper” by the search team and rescued by two adult male kayakers Sunday evening, had been the subject of an intense search over the past week.
“They said they grabbed Chomper by the legs and prayed,” said Kiski Township police Chief Lee Bartolicius.
The good Samaritan kayakers declined to have their names made public and do not want any notoriety, Bartolicius said.
Armstrong County Humane Officer and volunteer Amber Phillips said Sunday’s capture wrapped up a weekendlong search by officials and volunteers who received multiple credible leads about the gator’s whereabouts.
Phillips said she spotted what she believed to be gator scat and had set up a large bait trap Saturday near the Salina Bridge.
Chicken was the food of choice for the trap, the more rotten and sun-baked the better, she said.
Phillips said she was contacted by Bartolicius after 9 p.m. Sunday and raced to the boat launch at Roaring Run in Apollo.
The kayakers transported the alligator inside the front area of one of the kayaks.
“They said Chomper would respond well to being petted, and they called 911 when they reached the boat launch,” Phillips said.
“I was ready to cry,” Phillips said of her reaction to the news that the alligator was safe. “I was terrified someone was going to shoot him. I’m very grateful Chomper is safe, and the alligator is going to Nate’s Reptile Rescue in Pittsburgh.”
“I want to see this through. I don’t trust anyone with this. There were too many people that wanted to hurt him,” Phillips said.
The alligator spent the night at Phillips’ nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue shelter, Champion’s Crusaiders Rescue in Parks Township.
Phillips said the animal was a bit stressed Monday morning but calm overall and seemed to enjoy being petted.
“He’s the most well-behaved animal in this building,” she joked. “I wanted to put a blanket in there with him, but didn’t. I did kiss him. He’s so cute.”
Phillips estimated the alligator is about 4 years old, and she did hold it the night of the rescue.
“That was cool,” Phillips said. “I’d like to see Chomper be an animal ambassador at Nate’s Reptile Rescue so Chomper could do shows at school. He’s very docile, and he was definitely domesticated.”
Phillips clapped back against social media posts the past week that claimed the hunt for Chomper was a waste of resources.
“There is no such thing as a wasted resource when it’s a living, breathing creature in my world,” Phillips said. “Maybe in your world, and that’s OK, but don’t criticize people that are taking this to a different level than you do.
“I’m a volunteer. The only ones there searching that were paid were the police. All species matter and, in my heart, it truly does.”
Bartolicius confirmed Sunday evening that two kayakers spotted and caught the gator. Two police officers assisted them.
“I would like to thank all of the personnel that assisted in the search for Chomper. This was a great collaborative effort between multiple agencies and civilian personnel,” he said. “The community really stepped up and helped a lot. We had community members with personally owned aircraft searching the water, people in kayaks and canoes searching for us. It was really great to see all the support with this.”
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The alligator, about 4 feet long and believed to have been dumped in the river by someone, initially was reported to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission by a group of kayakers July 30. It is one of several wayward alligators in Pennsylvania this year.
It initially was spotted near the Salina Bridge, with a second sighting July 31 in the proximity of the Roaring Run Trail near Apollo.
Over the weekend, there had been several new sightings.
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