Mark’s Ark animal show lost an alligator in Auburn, Indiana, and the neighbor next door says this is the third one, not the first

A 2-foot alligator named Irwin has been on the loose in Auburn, Indiana since Thursday, after escaping from the property of Mark Kohlhorst, who runs an exotic animal show called Mark’s Ark. The incident came to light through UPI, which reported that Kohlhorst discovered Irwin’s cooler was empty when he returned home from a show. The alligator remained unaccounted for as of Tuesday.

Kohlhorst maintained the animal poses no threat to people, telling WPTA-TV the small reptile subsists on mice and would “try and avoid people” rather than pursue them. His neighbors disagreed. Resident Susan McKown told WANE-TV she believed the alligator could cause serious injury, and that her main concern was the safety of her grandson.

The tension is compounded by what neighbors describe as a longer pattern. McKown believes an alligator found in her pond in 2017 also came from Kohlhorst’s property, and local authorities confirmed a separate alligator was found in the area in 2012. Kohlhorst denied both: “They were not my alligators, and by that I’m going to be very clear. I didn’t hold them for anybody; I did not adopt them.”

Neighbors point to a single source as DeKalb County commissioners move to review the rules

McKown’s daughter Kristen Price pushed back on those denials, telling reporters: “You’re the only person who has these animals in the vicinity.” The disagreement over Irwin’s danger level and likely origin reflects a familiar dynamic, amid split reactions to animal encounters in which the same creature can alarm some observers while others insist there is nothing to worry about.

Kohlhorst acknowledged that other animals have escaped from his property before, including a pony, a pig, a tortoise, and an emu. He recovered the pony and pig safely but chose to shoot the emu after determining it “posed a danger to traffic.”

The pattern of escapes was raised at the DeKalb County Commissioners meeting on Monday night, where officials said they plan to review local ordinances. The situation has drawn attention amid recent wildlife sightings unsettling neighborhoods, though the Indiana case stands apart in that the escaped animal’s owner is not in question.

Under Indiana state rules, residents may keep alligators without a state permit so long as the reptile measures under 5 feet in length. Irwin, at 2 feet, falls within that threshold, and the search for him in Auburn was still ongoing as of Tuesday.