Officials catch alligator in Chicago River

CHICAGO (AP) — First there was a wily coyote in Chicago’s downtown. Then an ill-fated cougar on the North Side. Now authorities have captured an alligator in the Chicago River.

An employee of a metal manufacturing company found the 5-foot-long reptile Friday in the river’s South Branch.

The alligator didn’t try to attack anyone and was safely pulled from the river by a reptile expert, said Anne Kent, director of the city’s Animal Care and Control Department.

The alligator was probably a discarded pet, officials said. It’s now in the custody of the reptile expert.

The alligator was probably attracted to the river by carp, Kent said.

A coyote surprised customers when it walked into a Chicago sandwich shop last year. And police shot and killed a cougar found roaming the city in April.