Drug search turns into animal rescue

He seemed “aggressive,” and when police officers saw his teeth, they called for help.

As Staunton Animal Control Officer Shane Ayers descended into the basement at 358 National Ave. he found a makeshift pond environment, complete with fishy odors and a 3-foot, snarling “alligator-like” creature, he said.

Authorities captured the animal and sent it to The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro, said Staunton Police spokeswoman Officer Lisa Klein.

Officers found the reptile during the execution of a drug search warrant, Klein said.

Authorities also found a bulldog in the backyard, without food or water, she said.

Police charged Carlin R. Adams, 30, of Staunton, with possession of an exotic animal and animal cruelty, Klein said.

When Randy D. Huwa, executive vice president of the Wildlife Center, heard officers described the animal as an “alligator-like” creature, he chuckled.

“It’s alligator-like because it’s an alligator,” Huwa said.

Huwa opened a door into a room at the Wildlife Center to reveal the creature.

Staring wide-eyed from his pool, the scaly specimen shuffled as shadows slid across the water’s surface.

“He’s not a lapdog, let’s put it that way,” Huwa said.

Ariane Santamaria-Bouvier, of Quebec, a temporary employee at the Wildlife Center, said the alligator is about two times smaller than many alligators the same age.

Weighing in at almost eight pounds, Wildlife Center employees have placed the reptile on a diet of fish.

“He growled and hissed through a lot of the exam yesterday,” Bouvier said. “We really have to take caution when we go to grab him.”

Bouvier said this is her first time handling alligators.

“At least he was small,” she said. “But he was still pretty feisty.”

Huwa said they are waiting to figure out what will happen to the alligator next.

In the meantime, he’ll continue to eat herring and grow under the watchful eyes of Wildlife Center employees.