Southern Ontario experienced some unusual summer-like heat this September, but was it warm enough for an alligator to take up residence in the area?
A town located just north of Toronto alerted residents of a “possible sighting of an alligator/crocodile” in one of the neighbourhood ponds.
The Town of Richmond Hill sent the cautionary letters to anyone living near the Mill Pond, situated on Mill Street, between Bathurst and Yonge, on Wednesday. The quaint pond and adjacent park are popular destinations for families living in the residential neighbourhood.
In one case, Richmond Hill staff sent a letter to a home that backs onto the pond advising the occupants to keep any family or pets out of their yard because they don’t have a rear fence.
Someone had sent the town some images of “something that may have potentially been a crocodile or an alligator” Meeha Gandhi, director of communications for the Town of Richmond Hill, told CTVNews.ca on Friday. She said they decided to inform residents of the potential threat and conduct a search because public safety is “a number one concern” for the municipality.
As of Thursday afternoon, Richmond Hill staff called off the search for the possible alligator or crocodile.
Town officials reassured recipients of the letter that around-the-clock security had been arranged for the region. In conjunction with the Ontario SPCA and a local reptile zoo called Reptilia, the town spent nearly two days looking for evidence of the reptile.
As of Thursday afternoon, Richmond Hill staff called off the search for the possible alligator or crocodile.
Gandhi said they performed searches by canoe, had someone do a perimeter search in the water, looked for evidence, such as claw prints in the surrounding area, and found nothing that would indicate a reptile had been there.
Residents were sent a second letter updating them with the results of the investigation, Gandhi said.
There were no reports of alligator or crocodile-related injuries.
With files from CTV Toronto
