Pennsylvania on Alert as Pair of 4-Foot Alligators Missing, Feared Stolen

A Pennsylvania couple is looking for answers after they say their pet alligators were taken from their property.

Brandy Gwynn reported Monday that her two alligators, named Georgia and Cleo, were missing from her backyard enclosure in Lebanon since Saturday.

Gwynn and her partner, who co-own a tattoo and piercing shop, believe the two reptiles were stolen from their property. "Somebody physically had to come and remove them, because alligators are very territorial and do not leave their water source or their food source," she told Lebanon Daily News.

The couple has two alligator enclosures on their property: one inside and another 35- to 40-foot-long enclosure outside. At the time of the alleged incident, both alligators were in the outside enclosure due to the heat.

As per the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, it is legal to own an alligator, cayman or crocodile, and there is no state requirement for a permit. There are also no state regulations, as long as the animals are not released into the wild.

Cleo was bought by the couple at the Lebanon Reptile Expo last year for $150, according to Lebanon Daily News. Georgia was rescued just a week ago by a friend of the couple, who asked for their help as they did not know how to care for the reptile.

Both alligators were allegedly taken while the couple were at work; they say there were no signs of escape. For the couple, it seems only plausible that they were taken from the home.

"Alligators are very territorial. [Our alligators] are hand fed," Brandy Gwynn told Fox43. "So, they always have food. They don't leave. Cleo is captive and she's not used to living [in the] wild. So there's no way she would have left. I've had her out there for two years and she's never left."

The couple have been pleading for the return of their alligators on social media and handing out missing posters in the local area. "I'm pretty sure someone came into my property last night and stole two of my alligators right out of their enclosure," Erik Gwynn wrote on Facebook. "Please help me find them!"

"If you don't handle [alligators] on a day-to-day basis, they become wilder. So, I'm sure they're scared. I'm sure they're frightened, they are going to be snappy, they will bite," said Erik Gwynn told Fox43. "So, your best bet is to call us, we can easily go there and get them. We have the right things to wear and the right tools to get them safely."

The couple are asking anyone with information to contact them through their social media accounts or to contact the North Cornwall Township Police Department at 717-274-0464.

Newsweek reached out to Brandy Gwynn for comment.