Kensington Metropark police, with support from the Oakland County Sheriffs Department, Oakland County Animal Control, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Detroit Zoological Society were on Kent Lake until shortly after midnight Thursday, using drones, ATVs, boats and a helicopter in the hunt for an alligator that a single park visitor reported seeing.
The search — despite everyone’s best efforts and genuine collaborative spirit, according to park spokesperson Danielle Mauter — was unable to find an alligator.
“At this time, we will be keeping our eyes open and seeing if the possible alligator makes another appearance,” Mauter said. “We will leave the warning signs in place for the public’s assistance with any sightings as well.”
All areas of the park will remain open, Mauter said. The sighting occurred in an area of the lake that is not open to swimming and is lesser used for boating than other, busier, areas of the lake.
“We want to thank all the organizations assisting in this incident, and the collaboration between teams to ensure the safety of all our visitors,” Mauter said.
If any visitors to Kensington Metropark spots an alligator, they should not approach it and instead call park police at (810) 227-8910.
