VIDEO: An alligator has been spotted in a lake in southern Ontario

There have been active sightings of an alligator swimming in Lake Erie, and naturally, people are concerned.

The lake, which bolsters numerous bordering towns in the Niagara Region such as Port Colborne, has been subject to reports of a large reptile circulating the region over the last month. 

An article from the US-based publication GoErie has reported that the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority has been engaged in a weeks-long search for the seemingly displaced apex predator. 

Port Authority officials have indicated they will relay information to the public if the animal is found. 

Courtesy of WBNS 10TV

Videos

In a video posted to The Weather Network, zookeeper Eric Woodley at the Reptilia Whitby location indicated that while it may be the first instinct to be concerned about public safety, it’s the alligator who is the most at-risk party. 

“He [the alligator] is going to be succumbing to our colder temperatures… at least the water is a more stable temperature, whereas the air is going to be dropping throughout the day and night,” Woodley stated in the video. 

The report continues to indicate that the alligator was likely abandoned in the lake near the city of Eerie in Pennsylvania, likely due to whoever owned the animal not being able to support it further. 

At the time of publication, no further updates have been provided on the alligator’s whereabouts.