CROCKERY LAKE, Mich. — When you go swimming in a Michigan lake, you never know what is lurking in the water. From fish to large snapping turtles. Crockery Lake has possibly added a new creature to that list with a reported sighting of an alligator.
This past weekend, something caught a fisherman’s eye.
Crockery Lake Association President Betsy Ludwick said, “He said it was in the lily pads, could have been anywhere in this area where the lily pads are.”
What he may have spotted shouldn’t be in Crockery Lake.
“They said they had gotten a report from a fisherman from the fish dock that he saw a six-foot alligator, but he didn't take any pictures,” said Ludwick.
Because of that possible sighting, the DNR and Ottawa County Animal Control were at the lake on Sunday and did not see a gator, but they did leave warning signs at Grose Park to be on the lookout.
Lt. Gerald Thayer from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said, “With the information going around that there's a potential sighting, a lot of people have taken to the water to try to find it. We have not had any more reports since the initial one that came in yesterday.”
“If it’s out here, we will see it,” said a person kayaking.
Monday morning, kayakers and boaters were out searching the shoreline for any sign of the creature.
Ludwick said, “One of our residents said that he saw something on his shore and he thought it was a log, and then he went back and looked, and that it had gone. So, he doesn't know if that's what it was or not, if it was the alligator or not.”
The DNR says that usually alligators leave people alone, but everyone still should be cautious.
“Not that it can't happen, that it bites somebody or attack somebody. It does happen from time to time, but they're usually not too typically aggressive towards humans,” said Lt. Thayer.
For the time being, residents here at Crockery Lake will have to keep an eye out for the possible unwanted interloper.
Ludwick said, “We have the boat — you know, the pontoon parade — every evening. So, we'll just keep our eyes open and see what we see. If we start having reports of carcasses, you know, dead things, then we're going to get a little bit more aggressive with the DNR about it.”
The DNR says occasionally alligators do get released in Michigan, but they cannot survive our winters.
If locals snap a few pictures of Crockery’s resident gator, they can call the DNR at 1-800-292-7800 to report the sighting.
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