When we head out of our door for work on a Monday morning, most of us don’t need to be on the lookout for alligators. But for residents in Tampa, Florida, they often have to share their neighborhoods with these deadly reptiles – and sometimes they get a little too close for comfort!
Although alligators most often live in lakes and ponds, sometimes they can venture out into suburban areas, so it’s always best to be on the lookout. That’s exactly what happened in this next story when a family from Tampa got the fright of their lives after waking up to find an 8-foot alligator sitting on their front doorstep!
Luckily, the alligator was safely removed from the area by rescuers Croc Encounters and was taken to a safe area. But not before the team snapped some pretty scary pics of the alligator as he lurked on the doorstep! They shared them onto their Facebook page, and we just had to show them to you.
When the family from Tampa spotted the croc just chilling on their welcome mat, they bravely tried to coax him away from the area. But after he refused to budge, they were forced to call a local rescue team, as well as leaving a pretty hilarious note out to warn any potential mailmen. The sign said:
“Delivery stop! Leave packages here! ALLIGATOR at front door!! (Seriously).”
We think that message would certainly do the job.
When the rescue team arrived, they first contemplated where the croc had come from.
“The alligator most likely came from a nearby lake, however, the lake is not directly in front of or behind the house,” Karina Sura Paner, a manager at Croc Encounters, told The Dodo. “The alligator did travel some distance to get to their front door. He was most likely looking for a new body of water during the night. It is possible that at sunrise he found a shady spot to hide.”
The rescuers found that the poor alligator was a little worse for wear.
He was missing a few limbs – which they presumed had happened as the result of a fight with another croc. Despite being at a physical disadvantage, the stubborn alligator still put up a fight when rescuers approached him, and he ended up making a bit of a mess!
“The alligator was quite content until we approached him, at which point he opened his mouth to give us a warning hiss,” Karina said. “When we secured him with a rope he reacted as alligators will do by swinging his tail back and forth and even death rolling several times.”
Because of his injuries, the team decided that it was best for the gator to be taken to an outdoor, natural enclosure with a group of other alligators, instead of returning him to the wild where he might face another attack.
He’s now safe and happy – and so are the family whose doorstep he paid a visit to!
Croc Encounters share all of their rescues on their page, and there are so many entertaining stories on there!
From baby alligators being rescued from a preschool to dislodging alligators from under people’s cars – there’s never a dull day for the rescue team. They also share updates about their reptilian residents in their enclosure, so we’re able to keep track of how the rescued alligators are doing. Keep it up, guys!
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Source: Croc Encounters, The Dodo
