BOSTON (AP) — It wasn’t a croc — there really was an alligator on the loose in Boston.

And the story of the city's slithering saurian appears to have a happy ending. The small alligator, spotted along the Charles River in Boston multiple times this week, has been rescued and delivered to safety, wildlife officials in Massachusetts said Thursday.

The approximately foot-long crocodilian startled a few people and became an instant star on social media after confused onlookers took videos of it slithering away from sight. But the animal is not native to Massachusetts, and couldn't possibly survive the harsh New England winter, so the search for the wayward gator was on.

A local wildlife educator captured the critter on Wednesday night, and it's now awaiting a permanent home, officials said.

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