It’s Not a Hoax. Authorities Searching for Alligator in Charles River

A viral video has people across Boston on the hunt for a tiny alligator in the Charles River. The small gator was caught on video over the weekend by a couple passing by the river.

According to a CBS News Boston report, Trevor Rochelle took the video, which shows Rochelle poking the alligator with a stick to determine whether it was alive before the creature retreated into the water. When the video first surfaced, some social media reports called it a hoax.

"That was the first thing people thought. You're joking. This isn't real. The video was the realistic piece," said Rochelle. "Believe me, it was real. I am not pulling anyone's leg." 

Rochelle said he spotted the gator in one of the two lagoons in the Esplanade that connect to the Charles River. After the encounter, Rochelle contacted Boston Animal Care and Control for help.

A spokesperson for Boston Animal Care and Control told CBS News Boston WBZ-TV that they scouted the river on Sunday, Nov. 9, but couldn't find the alligator. 

Another individual, Whitney Lieberman, also reported seeing the alligator on Tuesday morning, Nov. 11, around 8 a.m. She said the gator was suspended in the water of the Turtle Pond lagoon, with its head sticking above the surface.

“I immediately texted my coworkers a picture and asked whether seeing an alligator in the Charles was a decent excuse to be late to my morning meeting,” she told Boston.com.

Lieberman also captured a short video, then contacted state officials with MassWildlife.  

MassWildlife reported that its officials are aware of the videos and are working with Boston Animal Control and the Massachusetts Environmental Police to capture the animal. Alligators are not native to the state, and MassWildlife says they won't survive in cold weather. It is illegal to own an alligator in Massachusetts.

This incident isn't the first time that an alligator has been spotted in the Charles River. A four-foot-long alligator was captured from the river in Needham in 2010 after a canoeist reported it to officials.