umm a little overkill I'd say

[Valigator]

Associated Press


THERESA, Wis. - Police shot and killed an alligator sunning itself along the Rock River.

Police got a call Thursday afternoon of a 2-foot alligator on some rocks along the river in Theresa, about 20 miles east of Beaver Dam.

Chief Michael Simmons consulted with state Department of Natural Resources warden John Christian, who said alligators aren't a protected species and the DNR wouldn't try to capture it.

Simmons decided to kill the creature before it went back in the river, posing a potential threat to children or pets. He warned neighbors, then shot the alligator with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Christian said he suspects someone had the alligator as a pet but let it go in the wild because it was too difficult to handle.

The alligator would have died anyway once temperatures dropped below freezing, since it was cold-blooded, Christian said. The river water was about 50 degrees, explaining why the alligator was sunning itself, Christian said.