Call about alligator on Massachusetts trail leaves officers laughing. See what it was

Animal control officers got an unusual call for Massachusetts — an alligator reported in the woods.

Dispatch called Andover Animal Control and said, “I hope you’re not busy because I’ve got a good one for you,” the agency said in an Aug. 27 Facebook post.

Three officers went to a trail at Deer Jump Reservation to meet the people who reported seeing the reptile. The callers said they were too nervous to get closer and described what they had seen at a distance, officers said.

“Once we arrived in the area, our excitement turned to belly laughs,” animal control wrote.

The gator was fake. It was a well-camouflaged decoy “placed to look like the real thing,” officers said.

Although it was harmless, officers removed it anyway to avoid scaring others on the trail, and they used the opportunity to remind people to always leash their dogs.

“Surprisingly, this isn’t the first alligator call in this area and it surely won’t be the last,” animal control said. “You never know what kind of creatures you’ll come across in the woods, thankfully this one was made of rubber instead of scales.”

Andover is about a 25-mile drive north from Boston.