On April 3, 2023, the Plano Animal Shelter received multiple reports during morning rush hour of an alligator on the side of the road at the westbound lanes of the George Bush Tollway. But upon arrival, workers realized the reports were wrong.
When workers arrived to investigate, they realized the alligator was nothing more than a realistic-looking, foot-long alligator toy. But the alligator was removed from the road and now has a brand new home.
The Plano Animal Shelter joked that “he’s fitting in well now at the shelter.” The alligator joined several stuffed bunnies for Easter and now has his own set of bunny ears. The Plano Animal Shelter also tweeted, "You never know what you’re going to see on your morning commute!"
The animal shelter said they don’t know how it got there and some speculate it is the work of an April Fools Day prankster or a lost toy from a child dangling him outside of a car window. Either way, commenters are having fun on the Facebook post and are calling for the gator to be named George, after all, he was "rescued" from the George Bush Turnpike.
The gator is somewhat reminiscent of the “wolf” sighting on Midway Road, close to George Bush Tollway (GBT). On Nov. 29, 2022, reports of a wolf wandering the area left some concerned. Carrollton resident Aimmee Ramirez told Local Profile that a firetruck was attempting to locate the animal, driving around the block.
After Local Profile reached out to several experts, the real identity of the animal was not confirmed, but several believed it to be a large dog or coyote.
“After speaking with our Wildlife Animal Services Officer, she is unable to make a positive species identification due to the poor quality of the photo,” City of Dallas Public Information Coordinator Marlo Clingman said. “Wolves are incredibly rare in Texas.”
But what about alligators?
If you hope to see a wolf or alligator, Plano probably is not the best place to do so. We recommend visiting a zoo for real animal excitement.
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