Small alligator found in Bloomington; fisherman says "there's a big one back there too" [PHOTO]

This little gator spent last night in a trashcan after being found yesterday in Bloomington.

Climate change has led to more precipitation and less moose in Minnesota, but who knew our climate was already hospitable to animals that normally reside in the tropics?

Apparently, Bloomington is now home to alligators, and nobody is quite sure how they got there.

A dog came across a small alligator while on a walk near the Bass Ponds area of the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge yesterday, and a fisherman in the refuge told Fox 9 "there is a big one [near the ponds] too."

The small gator was turned over to the Vicky Sherry, the Wildlife Refuge's biologist, who freely admits she didn't initially know whether it was a alligator or crocodile.

"Nobody is really equipped to handle an alligator in Minnesota that we could get a hold of," she told Fox.

The best Sherry can do for now, apparently, is place the gator in a trashcan with a weight on top to make sure the little guy or gal can't break loose overnight. But don't despair, because the gator will be liberated from the trashcan soon -- a local herpetological society is taking the gator today to ready it for adoption.

And be warned, those of you who plan to spend time in the Everglades Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge this spring. Apparently, there is at least one big gator still on the loose.