Alligator found under airport escalator after being abandoned by man who'd brought it via train

A foot-long alligator found underneath an escalator at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Friday
officer captured the reptile by putting a trash can over it
Photos appeared on Twitter of a similar-looking gator traveling to the airport via train
It is believed the owner probably left the animal behind after realized they weren’t going to get it past security

By Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press Reporter

PUBLISHED: 13:39 EST, 3 November 2013 | UPDATED: 13:47 EST, 3 November 2013

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A foot-long alligator has been found underneath an escalator at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

A maintenance worker discovered the alligator, which is between 12 and 18 inches long, on Friday in Terminal 3, Chicago Police spokesman Jose Estrada said on Sunday.

An officer captured the reptile by putting a trash can over it.

A foot-long alligator was found underneath an escalator at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on Friday

‘We don't know where it came from or how long it'd been residing in the airport facilities,’ Estrada said. ‘It's one of those random incidents.’

One theory is that the gator was taken to the airport via train and then probably freed after the person realized they weren’t going to be able to get past security with it.

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Photos appeared on Twitter of someone with a similar-sized alligator on-board a blue line CTA train headed for O’Hare, reports CBSChicago.

'They probably realized they couldn’t take it through check point, and just let him go, but oh my God,' said Tineka Walker of Universal Security who first discovered it.

The alligator was spotted underneath this escalator by a maintenance worker

@cbs2mai: Maybe same alligator I saw on Blue Line on 11.01. I got off @ Cumberland, but alli & owner went further. pic.twitter.com/MXC2TLglZq
— CubsCat (@CubsCat) November 3, 2013

The animal is now being cared for by the Chicago Herpetological Society. It will need to be treated for about six months because it appears the owner didn’t feed it properly and stunted its growth.

‘It was in pretty bad shape,’ said Jason Hood, the group's president. ‘We're trying to get it healthy and find a place for it.’

He said the gator would likely head to an out-of-state alligator farm once authorities give the organization the all-clear to release the animal.

It’s illegal to keep an alligator as a pet in Illinois. No one was injured.