Later, gator: A close encounter on Detroit’s Belle Isle

An alligator in Detroit’s Belle Isle? That’s what Hamtramckan Lynn Blasey says she witnessed recently while visiting there. The gator was eventually captured by the Michigan DNR. Photo by Lynn Blasey

By Alan Madlane
Lynn Blasey is well-known around town, a frequenter of city council meetings, a write-in candidate for mayor and a generally concerned Hamtramck citizen.
She recently had a rather extraordinary encounter while out on Belle Isle, observing a creature not totally suited for the Michigan climate year ‘round – we’re talking about an alligator, here.
Press reports have mentioned that it’s since been captured. More on that at article’s end, but for now, let’s hear from Lynn herself about her unusual day in the park.

The Review: Let’s talk alligator. Where were you, exactly, when you spotted this fella?
Lynn Blasey: Paddleboarding in Blue Heron Lagoon on Belle Isle.
The Review: What was your first (and second, and any other) reaction(s) to seeing what you thought you saw?
Blasey: First, I couldn’t believe my eyes, and I hastily retrieved my phone out of its waterproof pouch to begin documenting.
My second thought process, as I circled back around for another look, was to provide the DNR with everything they’d need to positively identify the animal (such as close-up pics) and find it, to capture and rehome it (context pictures with more shoreline and treeline, plus a screenshot of my map app so they knew exactly where I saw it).
I made a few passes, taking videos and photos, as I was still in disbelief at what I was seeing.

The Review: Where would you guess he/she/they came from?
Blasey: I’m assuming someone didn’t want it as a pet anymore, so they dumped it on the island.

The Review: Did you try to engage the animal in any way – say, feed it, or capture it yourself?
Blasey: I did not. I was on an inflatable paddleboard and, while it wasn’t huge, I didn’t want to pop by (on my) watercraft, and I also have zero experience handling that type of animal.

The Review: Did you call it in immediately to the authorities?
Blasey: I wasn’t sure (as to) the correct process to call it in. My gut reaction was to find a DNR officer on the island and report it to them directly.
We found one by the beach, and showed him the videos, photos, and location screenshot. He said there had been a few reports, but officers hadn’t had enough information (come in) fast enough to successfully capture it yet.
(They) thanked me for my report.

The Review: Did you think up a name for the gator? For that matter, are you sure it was a gator – or could it have been a (caiman, croc, etc)?
Blasey: I am notoriously bad at naming things — I’m content calling it “gator.” I am not very experienced with this type of animal, and am not 100% sure if it was, indeed, a gator, croc, or caiman.

(It turns out, according to the DNR who caught it and then rehomed it to the Westland Serpentarium, to be a perhaps two-year-old, foot-and-a-half long young alligator.)

The Review: I heard a brief news bite yesterday, later in the day, that they had caught this gator – what is your hope for him?
Blasey: The animal that was reported captured doesn’t seem to be the same animal I saw (the coloring and markings don’t look the same to me), but I hope I’m wrong and it is safe and well-cared-for moving forward.

The Review: What do you think you’ll see out there next? What do you hope you’ll see out there next? And – what do you most fear you’ll see out there next?
Blasey: We see a lot of wildlife on the waterways inside Belle Isle, from pike to trout, carp to snapping turtles to goldfish. I love nature, and don’t really have any fears about animal encounters.

The Review: Any last thoughts on the matter?
Blasey: I think this is a good opportunity to remind folks that pets grow up and, if (the pet owners become) unable to care for their pets for whatever reason, it is important to find a rescue or other party to surrender them to.
Releasing domestic, especially non-native, animals into the wild can have severe consequences on the ecosystem, and pose a threat to humans and other pets alike.
The Review: And, may we add, whether domesticated or otherwise, the animal in question doesn’t usually fare well or last long in an environment that is often quite different from their native one – as with this case.
Posted Oct. 25, 2025