A small town in Washington State was sent into a frenzy after locals spotted an alligator swimming in a lake – but all was not as it seemed.
When Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials responded to the cold waters of Cowlitz County, they found a reptile lurking in the water – only to find it was in fact fake.
A video posted by the WDFW Police shows Officer Blaine Corey carefully approaching the waters toward what he thought was a deadly beast.
‘Want to see an alligator?’ a man who greeted Corey said as he arrived.
But as the pair approached the water, he wondered whether the gator was just pretend.
‘Is that an alligator? Is that a fake? Is it a toy?’ the other man asked. Corey said that he was waiting to see if the gator moved.
In what was both a moment of hilarity and relief, both men discovered the gator was simply a fake after Corey pulled it out of the water with a stick.
‘Yeah, that’s fake,’ Corey laughed. ‘Its tail’s not even attached to it. It’s zip tied onto it.’
‘Someone obviously likes to mess with people, though,’ Corey said as he tossed it back in and pulled it to shore again.
The Facebook post joked: ‘Nice try MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife – please come and get your pet.’
‘Alligators are not native to Washington State and could not establish a population in the region because of its cool climate.
‘As a reminder, releasing non-native species into Washington State waters is illegal, not to mention inhumane to the species who cannot survive in our habitats.’
Northwest Sportsman Magazine shared the video stating: ‘Well, that’s one way to keep people out of your secret fishin’ hole.’