Is there really an alligator at this Mt. Rainier lake?

The news spread over social media quickly — an alligator was spotted at a lake near Mount Rainier. Can we file this next to reports of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot?

“There was a guy that reported that there was, supposedly, an alligator in Clear Lake, by Rimrock in Yakima County,” said Sgt. Morgan Grant with the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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Fish and Wildlife sent an officer to investigate the matter, but no evidence of an alligator was found. Grant stresses there was no confirmation of such an animal and he is skeptical that one could survive in the frigid, ice-fed lakes in that area.

“The likelihood of an alligator surviving in that water would be pretty minimal from what I understand of alligators,” Grant said.

“The Department of Fish and Wildlife takes anything related to public safety very seriously,” he said. “There is no confirmation or physical evidence other than that photo.”

“That photo” of an alligator in Clear Lake spread around social media recently, but its validity remains in question. It all started with a July 24 Facebook post featuring a blurry photo of what could be an alligator with the caption:

A mutual friends friend was up at clear lake kayaking today with her mom and came upon this. Yes, that is an alligator!!!! They reported it to fish and wildlife and they said it was probably someones pet that they released…so be aware when fishing/boating friends!!!

That Facebook post has been removed. But local radio station 98.3 The Key picked it up and posted the picture, wondering if it could possibly be true. You can see a photo of the mystery alligator here.

It isn’t the first time rumors of alligators or crocodiles have surfaced in Washington. There was a report last August of an alligator in a lake near Kent. Another was once rumored to be swimming around Lake Washington in 2005. In each case, the response is similar: alligators require tropical and warm environments. They would likely not survive very long in the Northwest’s cooler temperatures. And despite global warming, things haven’t warmed up that much around the Northwest just yet.

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