Pet alligators looking for new home

Alex Coolman

NEWPORT BEACH -- The fate of three alligators plucked from the murky

waters of a backyard hot tub is looking grim, authorities said Wednesday.

The toothy reptiles, which range from 2 to 4 1/2 feet in length, were

taken Tuesday by state Fish and Game officers to the Orange County Animal

Shelter. Their owner, former professional surfer Daniel Flecky, is

planning to have them killed, said Newport Beach Police Sgt. Mike

McDermott.

Flecky could not be reached for comment.

Officials at the animal shelter said they were searching for a home for

the alligators.

“The local zoos so far have said no,” including the Orange County and Los

Angeles zoos, said Kathy Francis, public education officer for the

shelter.

Francis said it was still possible that the San Diego Zoo might take the

creatures.

Raising alligators in a hot tub is not only uncomfortable for the

reptiles, but it’s also prohibited by Fish and Game regulations,

McDermott said.

“There are sections [of the codes] that exclude animals like raptors,

alligators and exotic animals, like tigers,” he said.

Despite the regulations, however, exotic pets pop up from time to time in

Newport Beach.

McDermott recalled finding Bengal tiger cubs in a home about 10 years

ago.

“It was kind of cute, but the guy was living in Las Vegas,” he said. “We

sent those off to be relocated.”

Alligators, in particular, can be problematic as pets. Though they start

off fairly small and cuddly, they can eventually grow up to 14 feet long.

And, at that size, their behavior can no longer be described as “cuddly.”

“Even when they’re 3 or 4 feet long, they’re very dangerous,” said Walter

Beitleman, owner of The Pet Factory, a pet store in Anaheim that once

sold alligators.

“They don’t have any fear of anything,” he added.

McDermott emphasized that the discovery of the alligators appears to be

an isolated incident.

“Someone from Dover Shores called and was very concerned that we were

having an alligator outbreak and wondered if it was safe to go back in

the water,” he said.