Overview

• Hampton Township Public Safety officers responded to a report of a possible alligator and discovered a three-foot crocodile under a crab apple tree on Tuesday.
• The animal was safely corralled and transferred to Wilderness Trails Zoo in Birch Run for evaluation and care.
• Authorities have not identified an owner or determined how the crocodile appeared in Bay County, and the inquiry remains open.
• Local coverage differs on the exact species, describing it as either a South American crocodile or an American (neotropical) crocodile.
• Reporters emphasized that the species’ normal range spans Central and South America and southern Florida, placing the Michigan sighting far outside its habitat.