'Good Boy!': 12.5-Foot Alligator Plucked From School Path And Relocated
A 12.5-foot alligator spotted sauntering down a path frequented by Florida schoolchildren was wrangled and relocated to a presumably less kid-dense area earlier this week.
On Tuesday morning, someone phoned authorities to report the toothy reptile in St. Petersburg, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. The gator can be seen strolling near a fence in footage posted by the sheriff’s office on social media.
Deputies received a call yesterday morning from a citizen reporting a large gator on a pathway that kids walk through as they travel to and from school. We arrived to find a 12.5 foot gator and promptly called MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife for their assistance in relocation. pic.twitter.com/738HA0iIiZ
— Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (@SheriffPinellas) May 15, 2024
The video captions, which refer to the alligator as an “absolute dinosaur,” said the animal was “on a path children often take to and from school.”
In the video, a voice can be heard telling the alligator to “stay.” When the gator lies down, the voice adds approvingly: “Good boy! That’s a good boy!”
Deputies, along with an alligator trapper contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, captured the animal. They relocated the alligator to “an area in South Florida,” according to the video.
A similar fate befell another Florida alligator earlier this month that was removed from a Starbucks drive-thru and transported to a nearby pond.
The Florida fish and wildlife commission notes that serious injuries from alligators are “rare” in the state, but the agency urges people to never feed them and to “keep your distance” from the animals. The commission’s other tips for Florida residents and visitors include swimming only during the day in designated swimming areas, and keeping pets leashed and away from water.
