Many people are starting to lose hope that the gator of Lake Erie will ever be captured or seen again.
However, others who frequent the lake, including one charter boat owner, still believe that the gator is floating around, alive and well.
Bert Campbell, the owner and operator of Reel Obsession Fishing Charters , claimed that those on the boat spotted the gator just off the point at Lake Erie near East Avenue on Saturday.
Campbell claimed on Facebook that boat occupants saw the gator Saturday just before sunrise as it was stalking a flock of cormorants, but when they got up close to it, the alligator dove under and swam away. A posted photo showed something floating on the water, but the object was too distant to clearly identify.
Campbell confirmed his posted claim to the Times-News on Thursday.
Other claims
Employees from Presque Isle Angler on Lake Front Drive said that they have heard multiple reports of boaters passing the gator out toward the area that Campbell claimed to have spotted it.
No one has been able to show any evidence of claims at this time.
On Aug. 9, Julie Slomski from the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority told the Erie Times-News: "We have seen no tracks, no trace of it, nothing. If it’s out there, we hope it’s safe and we find it. But we haven’t had any confirmed sightings of it. We haven’t seen it on any (surveillance) camera footage. We don’t have any facts yet to confirm this. But we’re taking it seriously.”
In a text exchange on Thursday, Slomski said the Port Authority is unaware of any confirmed sightings and the charter captain has not reached out to them.
What to do if you spot the gator on Lake Erie
The Daytona Beach News-Journal in Florida shared some tips for Erie as the Atlantic Coast city is in an area that is native to gators. Here is a rundown of their advice:
- Gators are most active between dusk and dawn.
- Keep your eyes peeled for moving shapes.
- Gators tend to hang out near marshy areas near the shore.
- If you see the gator, keep a 30 foot distance.
- Gators can move quickly and lunge.
- If you run from a gator, run in a straight line and do not zig zag.
- If you happen to be attacked, fight back by hitting, kicking, poking it in the eye, provide noise or jam objects in the back of the gator's mouth.
- Seek medical attention if attacked.
There also is still a no-swimming advisory posted on the shore of East Avenue.
Who do you call if the gator is spotted?
If you happen to spot the reptile, please call one of the following numbers, depending on the area it is spotted:
- Erie Port Authority: 814-456-1931
- Presque Isle Rangers: 814-833-7424
- Pennsylvania State Police: 814-898-1641
More: While search continues in Lake Erie for an alligator, could York County have one too?
What we know so far:
- Initial sighting was Aug. 4, but other witnesses claim to have seen signs of it on Aug. 6 and Aug. 24.
- The alligator's location is unknown, but it was possibly seen near the East Avenue boat launch and former Erie Coke Plant area.
- Based on claims, the alligator might be hanging around the marsh area near the point off of East Avenue.
- Multiple residents have claimed to have seen the gator in rocks or spotted signs of tracks, but there is no hard evidence to support the claims.
- A Pennsylvania Waterways Conservation officer was initially part of the search for the alleged gator.
- Erie Zoo Director of Development Scott Mitchell has said that gators can swim up to 20 miles per hour, so it could be anywhere along Lake Erie shoreline.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Is the Lake Erie alligator alive and well? Sighting reported during fourth week of search
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