Reptile wrangler who retrieved alligator from Chicago lagoon throws first pitch before Cubs game
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The reptile wrangler who retrieved a roughly 5-foot alligator from the Humboldt Park Lagoon in Chicago threw out the first pitch at the Chicago Cubs’ game against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday.
Frank Robb received a loud ovation from the crowd at Wrigley Field. The gator, who has lovingly been nicknamed “Chance the Snapper,” was not in attendance.
ALLIGATOR SWIMMING IN CHICAGO LAGOON CAPTURED
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Alligator trapper Frank Robb throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
The eastern half of Humboldt Park was closed Sunday so Robb – the owner of Crocodilian Specialist Services in St. Augustine, Fla., per the Chicago Tribune – could remove the creature from the lagoon.
“Our team was out there all night long for the past two days; this is an amazing capture by Mr. Robb,” said Chicago Animal Care and Control Director Kelley Gandurski, adding Robb “got to work quickly surveying the area” after arriving in the city Sunday evening.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The Humboldt Park alligator has captured the imaginations of the entire city of Chicago and beyond and has united residents who have been following this story for the last week,” Chicago Animal Care and Control said in a news release.
Prior to its capture, Jenny Schlueter, spokeswoman for Chicago Animal Care and Control told FOX32 the mysterious alligator may have been a pet that was released into the wild after getting too big.
Florida alligator expert Frank Robb holds an alligator during a news conference, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Chicago. Robb captured the elusive alligator in a public lagoon at Humboldt Park early Tuesday. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky)
The gator, which Gandurski described as “beautiful and healthy in nature," was captured using “safe and humane” efforts.
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The reptile will remain at Chicago Animal Care and Control until he can be relocated to an alligator sanctuary.
Fox News' Madeline Farber and Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.