Haw, haw, this is a quirky story:
Kansas City police officers made an unusual discovery when they pulled a car over in a McDonald’s parking lot and found a live alligator in the back of the vehicle.
…
Kansas City animal control officers were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. and took it to an undisclosed location.
That’s roughly half the story; I can’t in good conscience quote any more of it, but I will note that it ends by saying the paper doesn’t know whether the driver was issued a citation of some sort.
This sort of story gets my libertarianesque blood boiling. For starters, as a story, it leaves out some vital details. Including by what right can law enforcement come seize your alligator.
Seriously. Is it illegal to possess an alligator in Kansas City, or is it simply illegal to transport one in an automobile? Did the driver violate alligator-restraint laws by not having it in an alligator seat? The paper notes the reptile was only 3 foot long, and you have to be 4’8″ if you’re human to ride outside of a booster seating system.
It’s just a little story, but aside from its nugget nature (Did you know that in Kansas City, it’s illegal to chauffeur a reptile longer than 18 inches?), it really doesn’t address by what right law enforcement seized this animal from its rightful owner (assuming it was seized from its rightful owner, but the story doesn’t say so either way. The article doesn’t evoke any sort of discussion about what animals law enforcement can take to an undisclosed location just because they can. Well, none except the alarum raised by the extremists (those with principles and who want this sort of potentially arbitrary action backed up).
It’s just funny because it’s an alligator in the back seat at a McDonalds.
