Living on a houseboat is a great way to observe a wide variety of marine life in the Chesapeake Bay’s harbors. But one houseboat dweller made a once-in-a-lifetime discovery when he looked out from his home in a slip at the DC Wharf and scooped up an alligator.
American alligators are native to southeastern states from North Carolina to Florida and west to Mississippi, and certainly not native to the Washington Channel on the Potomac River.
Yet, that’s exactly where the man found one, and caught it with a fishing net. Our partners at WTOP News spoke to Phoenix Norwood, who was in pajama pants with no shoes when he captured the reptile. He told WTOP he has no past experience with wrangling reptiles.
The Metropolitan Police Department responded to a call about the gator, sharing photos of it on the docks and later in an animal carrier. They turned the gator over to Animal Control, who transferred it to an animal sanctuary in Pennsylvania…