Washington Man Who Sleeps in Container with Pet Alligator Goes Missing Along with Young Cow

Both the man and the young cow who shared the container with the man's pet alligator have since vanished.

Police discovered that the man and the young calf were bunking next to a nearly 7-foot alligator. Now the police are still looking for the man and the young cow.

According to a news release from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, when police arrived at a property located in the Lakebay neighborhood of Washington on October 20, they discovered an alligator and a cow-calf crammed inside a container close to where the owner of the property, a 32-year-old man, slept.

The Lakebay property had previously been the subject of a complaint to animal control, but an investigation had turned up nothing. Animals were discovered following a second inspection.

Now Missing

The cow appeared to be seriously ill when they discovered the animals, according to the sheriff's office. On October 21, officers went back to the property with a warrant to capture the alligator and examine the calves. But neither the calf nor its owner could be located.

Sergeant Darren Moss Jr., the public information officer from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, said that the case has not since received any updates. The location of both the person and the young cow is still unknown. Since gators are not native to Washington, keeping one as a pet is prohibited there.

Spending the Night With an Alligator in the Quarters

Moss said that the owner was sleeping, and the alligator was free to move down to where he was. The only barrier separating the gator and the young calf was a tiny gate. Alligators are dangerous creatures that shouldn't be kept as pets. They are housed in zoos and wildlife reserves, where there are typically trained personnel and a lot more space that is similar to their natural habitats. He added that insurance will most certainly not protect anyone from having an alligator inside their home or from being attacked or hurt by the animal. Additionally, he reiterated that owning alligators in Washington State is outright forbidden.

Saved Alligator

The alligator is later moved to safety by the officers from the shipping container.

The alligator was then brought to the Tacoma Humane Society, where it was given to a facility for rehabilitating wildlife.

The alligator was discovered to be healthy, and free of any diseases or wounds. According to the sheriff's office, it will now be able to spend its time in a spacious habitat as opposed to a small storage container, Newsweek reports.

Alligators as Pets

In August 2022, Washington Post published an article about a man having an alligator as emotional support. However, in the article, it was also mentioned that alligators generally don't make good pets, according to wildlife experts, and ownership is prohibited in many states. The creatures are potentially lethal. A Florida woman in her 80s died last month after falling into a pond on a golf course and being attacked by two alligators.

The Spruce Pets provides a list of which animals each state considers illegal to own alligators or, in some cases, legal with a permit.