COMMUNITY HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY HARD HIT WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THAT. GATORS DUMPED HERE AT THIS
MICHIGAN SANCTUARY BECAUSE
THEY’RE TOO BIG OR TOO OLD. SO
WHERE DOES THE PROBLEM START? A
LOT OF THEM. USUALLY, I DO FOR
INVESTIGATORS ON THE CASE. ARE
YOU TAKING THE TIME TO TELL
RESIDENTS? OH YEAH, BECAUSE WE
UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAD SOMEONE
IN HERE. WE HAD SOMEONE IN HERE
ASKING QUESTIONS, AND THAT
PERSON WAS NOT INFORMED. AND
REALLY, IT WAS JUST A FEW WEEKS
AGO, THE LOCAL 4 INVESTIGATORS
EXPOSED THIS ISSUE OF PEOPLE
BUYING ALLIGATORS AS PETS THAN
DUMPING THEM INTO MICHIGAN
WATERWAYS WHEN THEY GOT TOO BIG
. THIS REALLY IS A BIG ISSUE,
AND SINCE WE LEARNED THAT THERE
ARE DIFFERENT LAWS AND DIFFERENT
METRO DETROIT CITY, SOMETIMES IT
IS ILLEGAL TO SELL GALA GATORS.
SOMETIMES IT’S ILLEGAL TO OWN
THEM. AND THAT’S WHAT BROUGHT US
TO THIS DOWN RIVER PET STORE.
THE CRITTER SHOP ON COURSE ROAD
IN ALLEN PARK. A VIEWER TIPPED
US OFF TO THIS PLACE. THAT’S WHY
I’M HERE TODAY. BUT FIRST, LET’S
SET THE SCENE WHEN OUR
UNDERCOVER PRODUCERS SHOWED UP
ABOUT A WEEK EARLIER ALLOCATED.
WE WERE HERE TO CHECK OUT THEIR
ALLIGATORS IN PARK CITY CODE
SAYS IT IS LEGAL FOR THE STORE
TO SELL THESE ANIMALS. BUT ALLEN
PARK ALSO SAYS RESIDENTS ARE
STRICTLY PROHIBITED FROM OWNING
THE GATORS AS SOON AS THEY GROW
TO SIX INCHES LONG GET IN THE
WILD 12 FT. NO ONE AT THE STORE.
EXPLAIN THE LAW TO OUR PRODUCER
WHEN SHE WAS ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT BUYING THE GATOR. WHAT DO
PEOPLE DO WITH THEM? I MEAN,
WHEN THEY GET BACK TO YOUR CARD
, LOT OF GATORS DUMPED THEM AT
FARMS. A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE TOOK
YOU TO ATHENS, MICHIGAN, SHOW
YOU THE 200 GATORS, THE
CRITCHLOW SANCTUARY WAS DEALING
WITH JUST KIND OF SIT IN YOUR
HAND, ALL BECAUSE PEOPLE BOUGHT
GATORS AS PETS AND THEN REALIZED
OH, WAIT. THEY’RE TOO MUCH TO
HANDLE. LENA KELLY RUNS THE
SANCTUARY AND SEES THE PROBLEM
FIRSTHAND. THEY DESERVE TO LIVE
JUST AS MUCH AS ANYBODY ELSE.
AND IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE
CARE OF IT, AND DON’T GET IT IN
THE FIRST PLACE FOR ITS ENTIRE
LIFETIME, SHE WISHES PET STORES
WOULD INFORM CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE
LAWS IN THEIR CITY WHEN IT COMES
TO REPTILE OWNERSHIP. THAT
DIDN’T HAPPEN WHEN OUR
UNDERCOVER PRODUCER VISITED THE
CRITTER SHOP IN ALLEN PARK. THE
SALESPERSON WAS EAGER TO SELL
HER A GATOR, EVEN THOUGH ALLEN
PARK CODE CLEARLY SAYS IT’S
AGAINST THE LAW TO ON THE
REPTILE LARGER THAN SIX INCHES.
ARE YOU TAKING THE TIME TO TELL
RESIDENTS? OH YES, BECAUSE WE
UNDERSTAND THAT WE HAD SOMEONE
IN HERE WE HAD SOMEONE IN HERE
ASKING QUESTIONS, AND THAT
PERSON WAS NOT INFORMED. THE
MANAGER BLAMED A NEW SALESPERSON
FOR NOT TELLING CUSTOMERS THE
LEGALITIES OF OWNING A GATOR IN
ALLEN PARK. SO WE CHECKED SOME
RANDOM CITIES IN METRO DETROIT
TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT THIS
ALLIGATOR LOSS SITUATION. WE
REALIZED IT’S A HOT MESS. TAKE A
LOOK RIGHT HERE. LET’S START IN
DETROIT AND TAKING A LOOK AT THE
CODE. YOU CAN SEE IT IS ILLEGAL
FOR A RESIDENT TO OWN A GATOR.
BUT IF YOU ARE A LICENSED PET
STORE, YOU CAN OWN A GATOR. NOW
LET’S HEAD OVER TO CANTON AND WE
CHECKED THE CITY CODE THERE AND
YOU CAN SEE THEY TAKE IT REALLY
SERIOUSLY. YOU CANNOT KEEP
HARBOR BREED EXCHANGE OR BY A
DANGEROUS REPTILES. SO CLEARLY
THEY’RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
GATOR SITUATION OVER THERE. NOW
IN TROY, TAKING A LOOK AT THE
CODE YOU CAN SEE. APPARENTLY YOU
CAN’T OWN A GATOR. YOU JUST NEED
A CITY PERMIT. WHO WOULD HAVE
THOUGHT THAT RESIDENTS DON’T
REALIZE THEIR NEIGHBORS CAN OWN
A GATOR. AND THEN NOW, TAKE A
LOOK AT WESTLAND. TAKE A LOOK AT
THE ORDINANCE AND LOOK, IT’S
LIKE ALLEN PARK, SO APPARENTLY
THE PET STORE CAN SELL A GATOR,
BUT RESIDENTS CAN’T OWN ONE. SO
YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT’S GETTING
REALLY CONFUSING, AND I CAN TELL
YOU STATE LEADERS ARE CONCERNED
YOU CAN’T YOU PUT THE CAMERA
AWAY, SIR. BACK AT THE CRITTER
SHOP IN ALLEN PARK. WE GET
KICKED OUT AFTER ASKING TOO MANY
QUESTIONS. YOU JUST TOLD ME TO
LEAVE AND I’M LEAVING. BUT IT’S
THOSE QUESTIONS. LENA KELLY
WANTS EVERYONE TO BE ASKING FOR
THESE ALLIGATORS WILL BE DUMPED
IN YOUR LOCAL WATERWAYS OR HER
SANCTUARY. THEY’RE GOING TO GET
BIGGER. GET A LOT BIGGER. MM
HMM. HOW BIG ARE THEY GOING TO
GET YOU THINK? I MEAN, THEY CAN
GET 14 15 FT. SHE HAS 200 GATORS
HERE NOW THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY
CAN EXCEED 70 YEARS. 70 YEARS,
PEOPLE. OKAY SO I REACHED OUT TO
THE CITY OF ALLEN PARK. AFTER I
BROUGHT OUR FINDINGS. THE LEGAL
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE IS REVIEWING
THE CURRENT CITY ORDINANCES.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH
THE PET STORES TO MAKE SURE
THEY’RE NOT SELLING THESE GATORS
TO ALLEN PARK RESIDENTS AS IT IS
AGAINST THE LAW. MEANTIME, OUR
INVESTIGATION INTO GATOR SALES
HAVE CAPTURED THE ATTENTION OF
LAWMAKERS IN LANSING. WE TALKED
TO SENATOR DANA, PA. YANKEES
OFFICE AND HAVE BEEN INFORMED
HER OFFICE IS WORKING ON A BILL
TO ADDRESS THE SALE OF GATORS IN
THE STATE. WHO WOULD HAVE
THOUGHT THIS IS SO FASCINATING?
FIRST OF ALL IN SECOND, WHO KNEW
THERE WERE SO MANY INSTANCES OF
THIS HAPPENING AND TAKING PLACE?
THERE’S A WHOLE SANCTUARY FOR
THESE FIRST WE’VE GOT THE TIP.
WE THOUGHT IT WAS KIND OF MAYBE
A SINGULAR THING. BUT THEN I
MEAN, EVEN JUST THIS MORNING I
WAS ON MOJO IN THE MORNING 95 5
RADIO, AND WE TEASE THE STORY.
THE LINES LIT UP SO MANY PEOPLE
WERE CALLING, SAYING THAT THEY
HAD GATORS. HAD A PERSON IN
BROWN’S TOWN TOWNSHIP, WHO SAID
THEY HAD A GATOR WHO WAS FOUR
FT. LONG THEY KEEP IT IN THEIR
HOUSE AND HOUSE AND THEY PLAN
ON. KEEPING THAT GATOR AND THEN
WHEN IT GETS TOO BIG, THEY SAID
THEY WERE GOING TO KILL IT AND
EAT IT. I MEAN, IT’S NOT LYING.
THESE THESE CRAZY THESE STORIES
ARE CRAZY, AND EVERYONE’S
WONDERING WHAT THE RULES ARE IN
THEIR CITY. SO WE DID PUT THAT
ON. CLICK ON SO YOU CAN CLICK
AND FIND OUT WHAT THE RULES ARE
IN YOUR CITY, BUT AT THE SAME
TIME, LIKE LENA KELLY SAID,
CATERS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN
YOUR HOUSE. THEY GROW TO 15 FT.
THEY’RE GOING TO BE 70 YEARS
OLD. THERE IS SOME
RESPONSIBILITY THERE SO MUCH FOR
ANYBODY TO HANDLE. AND IT IS
LIKE I SAID, I THINK WE’RE