Police, firefighters searching for alligator in Kiski River

Local police and firefighters are actively searching the Kiski River between Avonmore and Apollo for a wayward alligator spotted by kayakers over the weekend.

A state humane officer is putting out baited traps for the animal, assumed to be a pet that escaped or was released when its owner no longer could care for it.

By Monday afternoon, Kiski police and firefighters from three departments — Apollo No. 2 and 3 and Kiski — were searching for the alligator, according to Armstrong County 911. The dispatcher said members of the state Fish & Boat and Game commissions were either on the scene or heading there.

Kiski police Chief Lee Bartolicius — whose 12 years in law enforcement did not include any special training in capturing alligators — said the search was focusing on the Roaring Run Trail along the river, where all of the sightings have been, mostly in his township. They were looking on land, as the river is too low for motorized craft, he said.

Firefighters found a slide, where the gator slid down an embankment toward the water, but have not seen the gator or any other physical evidence of it, Bartolicius said. No injuries have been reported.

Bartolicius said there were multiple reports of the animal over the weekend. A man claimed to see it on the trail about 8:30 a.m. Monday but did not report it until three hours later.

For that reason, Bartolicius said, authorities are asking anyone who sees the alligator to call 911 immediately and be as detailed as possible with the location so they can better focus their search efforts. He asked for those downstream of Apollo to be on the lookout as well.

“There’s, obviously, more people in the public than there are emergency personnel,” Bartolicius said. “The chance of one of them seeing it before we do is greater.”

Bartolicius said authorities intend to make their best effort to capture the alligator alive so it can be taken to a care facility and ultimately relocated to Florida.

The animal first came to the attention of authorities Sunday afternoon, when it was spotted by six kayakers.

“There were kids shouting ‘Alligator!’ ahead of us on the river. I thought they were kidding,” said Jim Cibik of Kiski Township.

Cibik, along with his wife, Joli, and four friends, spotted and took photos of what they said is a young alligator — about 4 feet in length — swimming in the river near the bank.

Ann Thomson Tanis said she paddled closer to photograph the animal.

Joli Cibik reported the sighting via an email Sunday evening to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. As of Monday morning, the Cibiks had not heard back from any wildlife officials.

Cibik took to social media Sunday, posting about the encounter on Facebook.

“On Saturday, July 29th, we saw an alligator in the Kiski River between Avonmore and Apollo while kayaking. It’s actually sad some people think they’re good pets, until they’re not, and release them into our rivers,” Cibik wrote in the post.

“It was right past Salina Bridge headed toward Apollo,” said eyewitness Mark Tanis on where the alligator was spotted. “It was on the shore, then it moved into the water. We obviously don’t see this on the Kiski. It was not large — probably about 4 feet.”

Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission communications director Mark Parker confirmed Monday the agency fielded two inquiries within a week about the alligator.

“We’re aware of the report but the (fish commission) is not responsible for nonnative species, but we do our best to assist with these calls,” Parker said.

Related:

• From 2019: This isn't Florida, man: Another alligator found in Pittsburgh
• From 2019: Dozens of animals, reptiles seized from home where 5-foot gator named Chomp escaped
• In summer heat, bear spotted in Southern California backyard Jacuzzi

A ‘nonnative’ species

In Pennsylvania, alligators fall under the nonnative species category.

“Typically, it’s an irresponsible pet owner who releases an alligator that was likely a pet,” Parker said. “When an animal is introduced into the waters of (Pennsylvania), then that release of an animal is a violation of our code. That person could be held responsible.”

Parker said it would be “extremely unlikely” for an alligator to survive a harsh Pennsylvania winter.

In 2011, a 5-foot alligator reported in the waters of Westmoreland County’s Beaver Run Reservoir was predicted to not survive a Pennsylvania winter by wildlife officials.

Danny Hilliard of Leechburg, founder of the Leechburg Angling Club, said Sunday he was skeptical of the alligator sighting at first but contacted Cibik and said he feels the sighting is credible.

“It’s a sad thing both for the animal and the community. It’s cruel to release an animal into a habitat that won’t support it long-term, and it’s irresponsible to expose unsuspecting folks to a potentially dangerous wild animal,” Hilliard said.

Officials from the Lower Kiski Swift Water Rescue, Flood Response and Public Safety Dive Teams issued a cautionary warning for river enthusiasts via a post Monday to their Facebook page, explaining that without dams, the alligator potentially could navigate anywhere along the Kiski River.

For the Cibiks, the goal of the Facebook post is to make the public aware of the incident.

In 2019, multiple sightings of alligators, on land and in the water, were reported in the Pittsburgh area.

“Unfortunately, these things are not rare, and, unfortunately, things rarely end up well for the animal. Rescue organizations do not have the capacity to take in these exotic animals. We (the Fish Commission) don’t have the capacity to house these animals,” Parker said. “If people have a pet that is nonnative to Pennsylvania and release that animal into the wilds of Pennsylvania, it’s not only unlawful, but cruel, and has little chance of surviving.”

The public is advised to report nonnative animal sightings by providing the location to their local law enforcement agency.