Public Transit in Chicago has gone to the reptiles...... [View all]

By Carlos Sadovi Tribune reporter
8:11 a.m. CST, November 13, 2013


The riders on the Blue Line to O'Hare don't appear alarmed as the woman cradles and pets a 2-foot-long alligator, at one point holding it up as if showing it off.

Now the woman is the subject of a search because authorities believe she left the alligator at the airport, where it was found hiding under an escalator in the lower level of Terminal 3, according to police. The unexpected trespasser, since dubbed O'Hare and Allie, has been transferred to the care of the Chicago Herpetological Society.

Thanks to social media, CTA officials were able to find an image showing the woman and the alligator. That led them to figure out that the reptile that ended up at O'Hare first took a ride on an "L" train with a little help.

CTA officials were able to capture images of the woman as she boarded a northbound Blue Line train at the Pulaski station at 1:17 a.m. on Nov. 1, according to CTA Spokeswoman Tammy Chase. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-cta-asks-did-you-see-the-woman-with-the-alligator-on-the-blue-line-20131112,0,6488232.story