Alligators may have found a new home

Andrew Glazer

NEWPORT BEACH -- It’s not often that fearless, deadly alligators need

help from anyone, let alone the genteel headmistress of a school for

gifted children.

But Jackie Jacobsen and her husband John may pull three of the reptiles

from death row.

After reading about the beasts Thursday in the Daily Pilot, the couple,

who live in Claremont and own a Newport Beach vacation home, offered to

add the reptiles to their menagerie.

The Jacobsens’ at-home wildlife preserve includes macaques, capuchins,

squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and turtles. The alligators in question

would join another alligator in the twin ponds that John Jacobsen dug in

their backyard.

State Fish and Game officers on Tuesday seized the three alligators from

the Newport Beach hot tub of former professional surfer Daniel Flecky.

Since then, they’ve paced the pens of the Orange County Animal Shelter.

Flecky is paying the modest boarding fee of $5 a day.

“Where else can you find a cheaper place to board an alligator,” said

Kathy Francis, who works at the shelter.

Needless to say, it’s illegal to keep alligators in a Newport Beach hot

tub.

Flecky’s options were to find a permanent home for his pets or have them

put to death. Flecky, who could not be reached for comment, planned to

have them killed Wednesday, said Newport Beach police Sgt. Mike

McDermott.

However, a day later, several prospective adoptive parents called the

shelter. The Jacobsens are waiting for the green light from Flecky and

the Department of Fish and Game.

“We just want to find out their sexes before we adopt them,” said Jackie

Jacobsen, who said she has all the permits required for a large reptile

owner. “If they’re all females, there’s no problem. But if there’s a

male, he might fight with ours and someone will get hurt.”

But as of yet, no one at the animal shelter has volunteered to straddle

the reptiles, tape their mouths shut and flip them over to determine if

they’re Mr. or Mrs. Man-eater.

“Trust me, it’s not something we’re looking forward to,” Francis said.

“We’ll be happy to move them along as soon as possible.”