9 Alligators Found Outside a Pennsylvania Home… Yes, Pennsylvania!

Can you imagine stepping outside of your front door and finding an alligator on your front porch? Well, imagine the terror and fear this Pennsylvania man felt when he opened his door to find not one, not two, but nine alligators nearby his property! Keep reading to find out what happened. 

Alligator Sighting in Pennsylvania

Last Thursday night, October 5, 2023, Tony Gularsky of Kiski Township in Pennsylvania received a phone call from a neighbor informing him that he had an alligator on his back porch! 

“[They] called me and said, ‘Whatever you do, Tony, don’t come out on your porch — there’s a big gator.” 

“It was crazy. It would’ve been a rude awakening if I would’ve walked out and seen it,” Tony Gularsky.

You might assume that Gularsky would be terrified at this animal being on his property. However, he was relaxed about it. Gurlasky reported that his neighbor Dominic Hayward was known to keep about ten alligators down by his house. Unfazed, he said, “It was just a matter of time before they got loose.” 

The police investigated and found that Hayward’s backyard “make-shift” enclosure was not enough to keep all of these alligators in safely without the threat of them escaping and roaming around the neighborhood. Local authorities reportedly seized all of the gators because of obvious safety concerns for the public. 

The Tribune-Review reported that Hayward was arrested by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in September. “According to court documents filed Sept. 27, he’s awaiting summary trial in connection with violating regulations regarding the transport of certain animals.” 

How Many Alligators Live in Pennsylvania?

Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) of the family Alligatoridae can be found in North America and Asia. Alligators can be found in abundance, with over four million in their population. 

And while several states have alligators in abundance, including Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, Pennsylvania is not among those. There are no alligator populations in Pennsylvania. 

Do Alligators Make Good Pets?

While this might seem like an absurd question to some, it needs to be asked and answered. To put it quite frankly, alligators are not pets, nor would they make good pets if you would try. Alligators are not predictable animals, and thus no way for anyone to definitively say that one could be trained to be as loyal, kind, and good as, say, a dog. 

These reptiles are enormous, carnivorous animals that can weigh up to 800 pounds and reach 15+ feet in length.