Man arrested for keeping alligator in bathtub, claiming he was trying to save it

(CBS/WKMG) CITRA, Fla. - A 55-year-old Florida man was arrested after trying to save a baby alligator, which he described as "beat up" and "dehydrated."

CBS affiliate WKMG reports police found Alexander Springer was keeping the alligator in a bathtub.

Springer was charged with possession of an alligator and was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was booked around 1 a.m. Friday. He was later released.

NBC affiliate WESH reports Springer's wife, Teresa Springer, said she tried to tell her husband to get rid of the gator, but he wouldn't listen.

Deputies arrived at her home after a report of a domestic disturbance. While police were in her house, she showed them what was living in her tub.

""He told our detectives that he basically got the alligator from a friend and he was protecting it and was going to release the alligator the next day," said Marion County Sheriff's Office spokesman Judge Cochran.

Teresa, however, said her husband had no plans to release the gator. She claims he built an enclosure in the backyard with chicken wire and a pond because he planned on keeping it as a pet.

"Why would I want a gator in my house? I'm scared of them. That's not a natural habitat for an alligator in the first place," she said.

The alligator was taken away and released in a local lake.

"Leave alligators in their natural habitat and don't try to hide them in your bathtub," Teresa Springer said.