Update – Cold-blooded rescue: Alligator found abandoned in Harford County parking lot

(October 26, 2025, Update) “Global Pets” has been identified as the reptile shop near the parking lot where the alligator was abandoned.  After thanking the Harford County Sheriff’s Office “for being quick on the scene and taking action,” the shop posted the following message and image on their Facebook page.   

HUGE shoutout to Ryan’s Reptile Rescue and Rehoming for coming to the rescue as always. Scott had the honor to relocate the Gator to Plumpton Park Zoo where she will hopefully live the rest of her life there.

Ace News Today joins Global Pets in thanking all concerned regarding the gator’s rescue and finding a great new home at the super family friendly Plumpton Park Zoo.

Ace News Today”s original article from October 25, 2025, appears below in its entirety.

~~

(October 25, 2025) Alligator sightings often make the headlines in Florida or Georgia — but in Maryland, they’re almost unheard of. That changed this week when Harford County deputies responded to an unusual call: an alligator found hanging out in a parking lot in Forest Hill.

The Harford County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to a local reptile shop on the night of October 23 after reports of an alligator being spotted near the building. When they arrived, they found the reptile — a young adult — surprisingly calm, docile, and with its mouth already taped shut.

Deputies safely secured the animal and contacted a local reptile rescue for assistance.

Officials believe the gator had been kept as a pet and was abandoned once it grew too large to manage. “It’s likely someone left it near the reptile shop hoping it would be rescued,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

With temperatures that night dropping near freezing, deputies and the shop owner intervened just in time. Authorities say the alligator was in good health and would soon be transferred to a local zoo or rescue facility for permanent care.

Maryland law prohibits private ownership of alligators, and Harford County Code forbids abandoning any animal. The case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this case  is asked to contact the Harford County Sheriff’s Office at 410-692-7880.

“Later Gator”
(“In a while crocodile”)

~

(Source and images: Harford County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram