Hot dogs pacify neglected West St. Paul gator

An apartment manager checking on an open patio door last week found an unexpected tenant: a 3-foot-long alligator that had been left alone, hungry and grumpy in a glass tank.

The gator was discovered in apartment 116 of Somerset Green Apartments, in the 1500 block of Charlton Street in West St. Paul, said Police Chief Bud Shaver.

The pet alligator was removed by the returning tenant this week, but only after it had been alone in the apartment for days.

"The alligator was hissing," Shaver said. "It was probably cold, and it was probably hungry."

The police department called the Minnesota Zoo to find out what and how often alligators eat. Shaver said an employee told them they could eat live goldfish or balled-up hamburger.

"Someone threw a few hot dogs in there," Shaver said. "When you're hungry, you'll eat anything, I guess."

According to a police report, the tenant, Mary Peng, was in the process of moving out when the alligator was found. Peng was not available for comment.

"We used to sell [alligators] but we don't anymore," Siehndel said. "We couldn't trust customers to take care of them properly."

Shaver said having the unregistered alligator violates the city's exotic animal ordinance, but charges have not been filed.

"It's gone now and that's all we cared about," said a Somerset Apartment manager who declined to give her name.