Florida law enforcement officials removed an alligator from a local restaurant last week after an employee found it waiting by the door before breakfast began.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to Peaches Restaurant on Interstate 70 in Bradenton on Thursday after a reported alligator sighting.
When officers arrived on scene, they found what appeared to be an approximately 5-foot-long alligator in front of the restaurant.
Video released by the sheriff’s office showed two deputies, one of whom used a broom, removing the alligator from outside the store.
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Police in Manatee County, Florida, led an alligator back into the woods after it was spotted in front of a restaurant. (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office)
The video shows the crocodile moving its legs from side to side as it is pushed down a slope.
When the trio reached the wooded area, the alligator was seen crawling up a curb and then, after putting up a brief resistance against deputies, walking into the woods.
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The crocodile was chased away from the restaurant into a wooded area. (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office)
“They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, [gator] “He was prepared for it when employees discovered him patiently waiting for Peaches on Interstate 70 to open at 6am this morning,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook. “Deputy Hartley was kind enough to escort him to a more comfortable wooded area.”
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The alligator bit the deputy before leaving. (Manatee County Sheriff’s Office)
Wildlife officials say Crocodiles are wild animals and can be dangerous if provoked so you should always keep a safe distance from them.
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If you are concerned about alligators in Florida, call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.
