A Motel 6 had some unlikely guests Wednesday when a customer's luggage included a large alligator, snakes and other wildlife. Police were called about 5:30 p.m. after someone saw a man carry a 6-feet-long alligator into a hotel room at 4130 N. Black Canyon Highway. Several officers entered the room to discover nearly a dozen caged snakes, several desert tortoises, a possum, and spiders. The alligator was lying in a bathroom tub.The owner, who was not present when police arrived, later provided permits for the animals, Sgt. Mike Gurry said. He said the animals were used as educational tools. "If you're the next person to use that room, I'm sure they'll do a really good job of scrubbing the tub," Phoenix Lt. John Humphrey said.
An officer from the Arizona Game and Fish Department had also been dispatched but no further details were available, an agency spokeswoman said. It was not clear whether hotel management was aware of the man's companions when he checked in. A call to the hotel office was redirected to Motel 6's parent company, Accor North America, which did not return calls by deadline.