Baby alligator rescued in Desert Hot Springs

POSTED: 04:46 PM PST Mar 04, 2013    UPDATED: 05:27 PM PST Mar 04, 2013 
DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. -

A reptile that appeared to be a young alligator was rescued today from between two fences in Desert Hot Springs.

Around 3:30 p.m., a Riverside County Animal Services officer responded to a report of a stray animal wedged between fences in the 66600 block of Estrella Avenue. The officer took the three-foot reptile to the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms, animal services spokesman John Welsh said.

He said the reptile "appears to be a juvenile American alligator," which are illegal to keep as pets, and was found a few blocks from an elementary school.

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