Toothy reptile escapes from Dixie Lane garage

By JACK MORAN
Mail Tribune

More than likely, Usal the alligator will run if confronted by a human.

But don’t get too close if you see him coming down your street. According to his owner, Usal can be a little unpredictable.

"Reach for him, and he’ll probably try to bite," said Paul Sabin, a Dixie Lane resident who left his garage door open for 45 minutes late Thursday while tending to an ill 12-foot Burmese python inside his house.

Sabin’s efforts to save the snake failed. Things got worse when he returned to the garage and found Usal had escaped into the night.

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"I totally spaced and left the door open," Sabin said. "I feel horrible. I’m afraid somebody’s going to get hurt, or lose a pet."

Police responded to Sabin’s southwest Medford neighborhood at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday and searched more than an hour for the 3½ -foot-long reptile, police Lt. Mike Moran said.

"We’ve had snakes and lizards loose before, but never a gator," said Moran, who was surprised to find there is no state law or local ordinance preventing Sabin or anyone else from housing an alligator.

Authorities are warning Medford residents to call them if Usal shows up on their block.

"It would not be safe for a person to approach it," Moran said.

Sabin, who adopts reptiles that are not properly cared for by previous owners, said he never had an alligator before Usal slithered into his life about three months ago. Before then, Usal lived a cramped existence inside a 4-foot aquarium and was in poor health, Sabin said.

Sabin moved Usal into a 1,500-gallon swimming pool in his garage, and nursed the 3-year-old gator back to health. Usal apparently maintains a forceful bite, despite the fact he lost several teeth while living with a previous owner in Medford.

"(Usal’s teeth) do exert a tremendous amount of pressure," Sabin said. "I don’t think he’d be able to bite off somebody’s hand, but he could probably break some fingers."

Usal prefers dining on frogs, fish and turtles, but will snack on a mammal if he’s hungry enough, Sabin said.

No Usal spottings had been reported to police by late Friday, leading Sabin to suspect the gator might have crawled into a storm drain.

"If he’s down there, he’s as good as dead," Sabin said. "I hope that’s not what happened."

Anyone who has seen Usal is asked to phone Medford police at 770-4784 or Sabin at 282-1549.

If Usal is located, Sabin hopes to stick with a plan to move him to a Denver-area facility named Colorado Gators that currently houses about 400 alligators.

"I know not a lot of people have warm, fuzzy feelings when it comes to reptiles, but I’ve always had a liking for them," Sabin said. "What usually happens is that someone will buy one when it’s little, but won’t know what to do with it when it gets big. That’s when I’ll adopt it."

Reach reporter Jack Moran at 776-4459, or e-mail jmoran@mailtribune.com.