Florida wildlife officials and sheriffs sprung into action recently after an 8-foot-long alligator was spotted lurking in the front yard of a home along the state's Gulf Coast.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to capture the reptile from a home in Bonita Springs last weekend.
In body camera footage shared on the Lee County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, at least three deputies carry the alligator to a truck, with one deputy hearing the officer say, “3, really push! 1, 2, 3, push!” as one of them holds its mouth down with duct tape.
Officials then forced the alligator into the bed of a closed truck and closed the door.
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Florida wildlife officials and sheriffs sprung into action recently after an 8-foot-long alligator was spotted lurking in the front yard of a home along the state's Gulf Coast. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
“Yo, we got it!” the sheriff's office wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “Over the weekend, this 8-foot swamp puppy showed up on a Bonita Springs resident's doorstep! LCSO sheriff's deputies lent a hand to our friends at MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife Department.”
The sheriff's office said the alligator was “safely removed,” adding, “See you, alligator!”
Alligators live in every county in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife.
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Body camera footage of officers carrying an alligator with its jaws secured with duct tape. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
“Florida has experienced a rapid population growth in recent years,” the group says on its website, “with many residents seeking waterfront housing and increasingly participating in water-related activities, which can result in more contact between alligators and humans and increase the potential for conflict.”
The FWC added: “While many Florida residents have learned to coexist with alligators, the possibility of conflict is always present. Serious injuries from alligators are rare in Florida, but if you are concerned about an alligator, please call the FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. FWC will dispatch a contracted nuisance alligator catcher to resolve the situation.”
The crocodile was loaded onto a truck and taken to a safe location. (Lee County Sheriff's Office)
The group advised people to keep their distance from crocodiles, never feed them and only swim in designated areas.
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A year ago, the body of a homeless woman was found inside an alligator's mouth near a Pinellas County waterway, not far from the campground where she was living.
