In case you were wondering what’s going on in Florida these days, the most Florida of all Florida stories has come through to remind you that apparently not much has changed.
As if this school year wasn’t going to be crazy enough, an entire fully grown wild alligator was spotted trying to climb the fence of a Naples high school.
Early one morning as this teacher arrived on campus to prepare for the unusual upcoming school year, he saw something even more unusual. Something no amount of preparing could have actually made him ready for.
Bill Mottola, the school’s Athletic Director, found a huge alligator sizing up the fence.
Naturally, he took to Twitter to share what had happened (after calling for help, of course).
Looks like this guy chose
Option 1-Attend School On Campus!! Decided to start a little early! @WeAreLely @FloridaGators #MondayAMInFL pic.twitter.com/jjhc2yF3AB— Bill Mottola (@CoachMotes) August 3, 2020
And Coach Mottola seemed to remain incredibly calm for such a wild situation. I don’t know about you, but I would not be able to process this information so early in the morning!
He watched as the alligator tried to get over the fence, but just couldn’t quite make it. At least not in time before Ray the Trapper arrived. But that gator wasn’t ready to go quietly! He put up quite the fight.
But fortunately, Ray is used to that. He used his tools to keep the gator a reasonable distance away and get him under control.
The expert wasn’t surprised to see that the alligator was trying to climb a fence. You wouldn’t guess by looking at them, but alligators have been known to get over fences in the past.
“Gators can climb. That’s why you can find them wherever, whenever.” – Ray the Trapper told Fox 4 Now.
But he got a bit of a surprise when he showed up on scene. He was expecting a gator that was a little smaller.
“I received a call that there was a 4-foot gator on property. I roll up and I get a big grin on my face, because that 4-foot was 7-foot 6-and-a-half-inch,” he said.
I’m not sure exactly how he can tell the size of a gator right down to the half-inch just by looking at it… but I take it he’s had a lot of practice!
In addition to his trapping duties, Ray is dedicated to educating people about animal safety, and why it’s so important not to feed wildlife (especially alligators!).
He brings his little buddy, Spike along for visits to schools and various homeowners associations to raise awareness and help people learn more about his job as a trapper. It might be fun, but it’s a lot of work! And no two days are the same.
He managed to wrangle the loose gator and humanely take him away so that he (as well as the students and teachers at Lely High School) could be safe.
But what’s even crazier than finding an alligator on school grounds… is that it wasn’t the only alligator who got lost that day.
“[Deputies] responded to a call for service at Estero Parc in reference to residents trapped in an elevator. They were unable to exit because of an alligator at the elevator doors.” – Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Ray the Trapper attributes the unusual gators to the time of year.
“We’re still in mating season, so in mating season, we have a lot of activity [during] the warmer weather,” Simonsen told Fox 4 Now.
Hopefully on the actual first day of back-to-school we won’t see anything this crazy. But it’s 2020… so you never know.
Watch the video below to see how Ray successfully captures the gator. Maybe the big guy was just hoping to get an education?
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
