Ore. Man With 3 Gators Feels Unwelcome

I can't imagine why.

Ore. Man With 3 Gators Feels Unwelcome

TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) - They may not be soft and cuddly, but James "Bugs" Brown said his three alligators are beloved pets. He said the gators - Chomper, Hisser and Snapper - are like family. And he'd rather move than cave to the pressure from the city to get rid of them.

Brown has lived in the city for 26 years and his oldest alligator has been with him since 1985. But recent concerns from a neighbor prompted the City of Tualatin to push Brown to say "see ya later" to his pets.

The neighbor runs a daycare out of her home and called the city with safety concerns about having the alligators next door. However, she says she didn't intend for Brown to lose his pets.

The city considered a law banning alligators and other exotic pets but has set the exotic pet ordinance aside after enormous community reponse. Instead, they are fining Brown for violating city code.

Brown could have to pay up to $1500 each day his alligators stay there. But a municipal judge will make the final decision on how much Brown is fined.

"We don't believe that it's a 'normal household pet,'" the city attorney Brenda Braden said. "Quite honestly, we just feel like we have to cite him."

State laws regulate exotic pets but alligators don't fall under those rules. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife doesn't restrict them either because alligators - which can't survive Oregon's winter in the wild - aren't considered a threat to native wildlife.

Alligators have caused problems in Oregon before. The escape of Al the alligator from his Beaverton home in 2002, prompted the city to create new pet rules.

Brown said he'll look for a home outside the city limits for he and his toothsome pals.

"I won't live in a place that discriminates," Brown said.