An alligator is on the loose in Indiana after escaping from a man who puts on animal shows at schools and other venues across the state.
Mark Kohlhorst, proprietor of the “Mark’s Ark” animal show, said a small alligator named Irwin escaped when he returned to his Auburn home from one of his shows on Thursday. He said he was putting his animals away when he discovered Irwin’s cooler was empty.
The alligator remained on the loose as of Tuesday.
Kohlhorst said the 2-foot gator does not pose a threat to humans.
“It eats mice, this big, that’s all it can fit in its mouth is mice this big,” Kohlhorst told WPTA-TV. “It will not attack people, chase people, the thing it will do is try and avoid people.”
Some neighbors said they do not believe the alligator is as harmless as Kohlhorst says.
“I would think it could take some fingers off, I think it could do a lot of damage to my grandson,” resident Susan McKown told WANE-TV.
McKown said she believes an alligator found in her pond in 2017 had also escaped from Kohlhorst’s property. Local authorities said another alligator was found in the area in 2012. Kohlhorst denied either of the reptiles were his.
“They were not my alligators, and by that I’m going to be very clear,” Kohlhorst said. “I didn’t hold them for anybody; I did not adopt them.”
Kristen Price, McKown’s daughter, said she does not believe Kohlhorst.
“I feel like when you live next to a man who has exotic animals and there’s an alligator who’s on the loose… It’s not like there’s someone random dropping off alligators in our neighborhood, it’s yours. You’re the only person who has these animals in the vicinity.”
Kohlhorst admitted animals have escaped from his property in the past, including a pony, a tortoise, a pig and an emu. The pony and pig were safely returned, but Kohlhorst made the decision to shoot the emu because it “posed a danger to traffic.”
DeKalb County Commissioners discussed neighbors’ concerns about the missing alligator at Monday night’s meeting. They said they will review local rules and ordinances.
Indiana allows alligators to be kept privately without state permits if they measure under 5 feet in length.
