5-foot alligator spotted wandering near California road

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A California sheriff's office confirmed deputies responded alongside state wildlife officers to a report of a 5-foot alligator spotted wandering near a road.

Sgt. Greg Stark of the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies assisted personnel from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife with the investigation into an alligator sighting off Calaveritas Road, near San Andreas.

Stark said Fish and Wildlife is handling the investigation and he could not comment on the status of the alligator.

Anastasia Stanish, senior wildlife scientist with the State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the alligator was most likely a former pet that was released into the wild when it became too large for its owner.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife previously euthanized a 4-foot alligator found swimming in Alameda Creek in Fremont. The alligator, which residents said had been living in the creek for months, was found to have been an abandoned former pet.