Staff at a Michigan motel have been left shocked after discovering a live alligator left behind by a recent guest.
The three-foot-long reptile, named Wally, was found at the Pine River Motel in Cheboygan last Friday.
The scaly creature had been abandoned after its owner, a collector of exotic animals, checked out of the establishment.
The discovery was made during a routine room cleaning.
The alligator was spotted in the room
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"We just went in to clean the room and, when my nephew looked under the bed, Wally was there," motel manager Gary told the Detroit Free Press.
The alligator had been hiding beneath the bed, unnoticed until the cleaning staff arrived to prepare the room for new guests. Despite the alarming discovery, the motel manager remained calm about the situation.
"He was a real friendly gator, so I didn't feel real scared. He let the police officers hold him and all that, I mean, it was a real friendly alligator," Gary explained.
The docile nature of the reptile meant staff and authorities could handle Wally safely. According to the motel manager, the owner of the alligator had no idea he'd left his pet behind.
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The alligator was reportedly "very friendly
Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office
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"He thought it got out. He looked for him, couldn't find it," Gary said. The exotic animal collector, who reportedly takes his unusual pets to local schools, had assumed Wally had escaped into the wild.
Gary expressed disbelief at how someone could misplace such a sizeable reptile.
"You couldn't really miss it. It's about three feet long," he remarked to the Detroit Free Press.
The motel manager seemed perplexed that anyone could lose track of an alligator in a hotel room.
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Gary went on to explain that Wally was not a typical alligator.
"But it was a dwarf gator. It won't get no bigger than that," he said.
Wally was reunited with his owner on Friday night. It is not known if any charges were filed.
Hotel staff often encounter unusual items left behind by guests. According to a report from Hotels.com published last September, a pet lizard, a car tire, and full leg casts were among the oddest items discovered in hotel rooms.
