Overview

• A man claimed on June 13 to have filmed an alligator in a 2.5-hectare rainwater retention basin in Vechta, triggering an official investigation.
• City officials cordoned off the area, deployed drones and set a live trap with rat bait while preparing to drain the basin if the reptile remained at large.
• Initial police and municipal reviews found no signs of tampering, but a June 16 analysis by IT experts showed the video could not have been filmed at the site.
• When confronted with the forensic findings, the man admitted he did not record the footage and that it was taken elsewhere.
• Authorities have called off the search and are weighing legal consequences for the individual under regulations banning private ownership of dangerous reptiles.