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Mystery alligator captured at shore of Indiana creek

By Ben Hooper
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May 22 (UPI) -- A pair of Indiana men fishing in a creek made a highly unusual catch for the area: a 2-1/2-foot-long alligator.

Trace Hawkins and Cameron Lane said they were fishing Thursday in Pleasant Run Creek on Hawkins' family's land in Bedford when they spotted a reptile in the weeds.

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The men, who are both 20, said they initially thought the animal might be a turtle or a snake, but it turned out to be a 2-1/2-foot alligator.

"You see this alligator sitting there and you're like, what in the world have I just saw," Lane told WRTV.

Hawkins showed off the unusual catch in a Facebook Live video.

"Unbelievable," Hawks says in the video. "An alligator in Bedford."

The men said they spoke to a conservation officer who told them the alligator was likely a pet that was released into the creek when it grew too large.

They said they are trying to identify the species of alligator and find it a permanent home. In the meantime, Hawkins' family is taking care of the reptile and showing it off to locals.

"For now it is happy and healthy and being cared for," said Trace's mother, Shauna Hawkins.

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