Holidaymakers have tackled a 1.5m alligator which mysteriously turned up at a campsite at Pambula on the Far South Coast.The reptile strolled into the Noonameena Scout Camp late on Monday, surprising camp caretaker Chris Littlejohns and about 30 campers.Mr Littlejohns and wife Jan were sitting on the verandah of their home about 5pm when they heard a rustle in the bushes."We saw this object coming through the fence and the grass and thought it was a goanna," Mr Littlejohns said. "But then we saw the snout and the head and thought, 'That's not a goanna!' Needless to say, we were bouncing around on the verandah for a while wondering what to do." The reptile, thought to have been drawn by the smell of old fish kept as bait in a nearby boat trailer, appeared hungry and tired, Mr Littlejohns said."We got in touch with WIRES (the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service) and some folk came out from Bega to see if they could help and in the meantime we fed it some fish and kept it from wandering off."When the creature did start to make tracks, campers threw a volleyball net over him. "That slowed him down enough for one of the fellas to jump on him and hold his jaws closed," Mr Littlejohns said.The man was a scout leader holidaying at the campsite with his family."I don't think he had any experience in that sort of thing," Mr Littlejohns said. "He just went ahead and bravely jumped on top of him."Rope was used to bind the alligator's jaws and legs before it was lifted into a box trailer to prevent any further escape attempts.The alligator was taken into the custody of WIRES reptile co-ordinator Kerry Power while a transfer to Mogo Zoo, south of Batemans Bay, was arranged.Zoo owner Sally Padey said the runaway would be added to Mogo's alligator family until an alternative home was found.Initially identified as a saltwater crocodile, the reptile was later confirmed as an alligator.Ms Padey said alligators were not native to Australia, so the reptile's origin was of concern."They don't reside in this country, other than in zoos. They're an American alligator, they come from Florida," she said.An investigation is now underway by both the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and NSW Police to determine how the alligator arrived in Australia.NPWS area manager Stephen Dovey said the alligator's appearance was not by accident."It seems very possible the animal has been obtained illegally and brought to the Far South Coast where it's either escaped captivity or has been deliberately released," he said."If this is the case, an offence has been committed. You are not allowed to bring an animal like this into the country, let alone hold one, unless you have obtained all appropriate approvals through federal authorities."Anyone with information about the alligator is asked to contact either Merimbula Police on (02) 6495 1366, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or the Department of Environment and Climate Change Enviroline on 131 55.