Wildlife authorities said a 40-inch American alligator has been caught in Plainfield, Ill., after it was spotted in Lake Renwick.

A Chicago Herpetological Society staff ecologist captured the reptile using a humane trap baited with store-bought raw chicken, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Bruce Hodgdon, a spokesman for the Will County Forest Preserve District, said the alligator was turned over to the herpetological society, which intends to return the gator to its habitat in the Gulf Coast region after rehabilitation.

Hodgdon said the alligator had approached staffers before it was caught, indicating that it might once have been a pet that was illegally dumped into the lake once it became too large to care for.

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