Authorities at Chicago O’Hare International Airport first did a double-take — and then radioed for help. An alligator was stalking around the terminal, hiding beneath an escalator.
“I looked. I said, ’What?’ ” security guard Tineka Walker said, after a passenger alerted her to the visitor, CNN reported.
Chicago police responded to Ms. Walker’s call for help, but initially thought she was joking.
“[I] figured somebody was messing with us,” said Chicago police officer Anthony Oliver, in WBBM.
The gator was only about 18 inches long, and an airport worker was able to capture it using just a broom and dustpan. From there, it went to animal control and then on to Chicago Herpetological Society.
“What if a little kid grabbed this, thinking it was a toy? That could do a nasty job,” said one reptile rescuer, affiliated with the group, to CNN.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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