Plano Animal Shelter received reports of an alligator on the side of the road during rush hour. When they arrived, they found a realistic-looking alligator toy instead of a real one, according to a Fox 4 article which reports,
“PLANO, Texas – The Plano Animal Shelter said it received reports of an alligator on the side on of the road, but when they got out there, it wasn’t quite what they expected.
City officials said they got a number of calls about an alligator in the westbound lanes of the George Bush Tollway during rush hour Monday morning.
When Plano Animal Services arrived they found it wasn’t an actual alligator, it was a realistic-looking alligator toy.”
People speculate how a toy alligator ended up on a Texas highway. It was either an April Fools’ Day prank or a lost toy. Commenters on Facebook want to name it George, after the George Bush Turnpike, according to a Local Profile article. They say,
“The animal shelter said they don’t know how it got there and some speculate it is the work of an April Fools Day prankster or a lost toy from a child dangling him outside of a car window. Either way, commenters are having fun on the Facebook post and are calling for the gator to be named George, after all, he was “rescued” from the George Bush Turnpike.
The gator is somewhat reminiscent of the “wolf” sighting on Midway Road, close to George Bush Tollway (GBT). On Nov. 29, 2022, reports of a wolf wandering the area left some concerned. Carrollton resident Aimmee Ramirez told Local Profile that a firetruck was attempting to locate the animal, driving around the block.”
The City of Dallas Public Information Coordinator couldn’t identify the animal in the poor quality photo and mentioned that wolves are rare in Texas. Plano isn’t the place to see a wolf or alligator; visit a zoo instead.
