Residents in the Spring Valley Road area near Gravette saw something in the road Thursday night. It was an alligator.
A homeowner called an off-duty Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy to report an alligator in the road, according to Brian McKinzie with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.
“The phone calls were delayed, so by the time the information got to us, it was gone,” McKinzie said.
Initially, officials thought rather than an alligator, the reptile could be a caiman. Arkansas residents can legally own caimans, McKinzie said, but not alligators.
The caiman is a four-legged reptile of the alligator family, according to the Animal Planet website. Caimans closely resemble alligators in appearance with long, thick, tapering tails and elongated snouts.
Authorities found the alligator Friday afternoon.
“This other neighbor came along, said he was the only guy in Arkansas licensed to have alligators and took it,” McKinzie said.
The man was allowed to keep the alligator for the time being, McKinzie said.