King County Animal Care and Control executed a search warrant and removed a nearly four foot long alligator named “Bruiser” from a home in Kirkland Friday morning.

Representatives from the Woodland Park Zoo and Kirkland Police Department assisted as Animal Control Officers removed the alligator from an unheated enclosure in the garage, located in the 7300 block of 132nd Ave. N.E. in Kirkland.

Kirkland law prohibits the possession of exotic animals without a permit. Possession of an exotic animal may be a misdemeanor offense.

The owner fully cooperated with Animal Control Officers, and the Alligator was transferred to a reptile specialist in Monroe who is equipped to foster the animal until a suitable home can be found.