According to the Clearwater Police Department, the 11-foot apex predator was found inside a home on Eagles Landing Circle West, after it broke through a kitchen window.
CPD says a trapper was called and the gator was captured and removed from the home with no injuries to the homeowners, but did not specify whether the gator was removed from the home unharmed.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, most gators in situations like this are put down and not relocated. “Generally, an alligator may be deemed a nuisance if it is at least four feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property,” says the FWC.
In other words, this gator was likely relocated to a deep fryer. Last year, the program “relocated” 8,139 alligators from Florida homes.
Right now, Florida is in the middle of alligator mating season, which runs from May to July, depending on temperatures. During this period, it’s not uncommon to see large gators like this one moving long distances to find mating partners, says the FWC.
Photo credit: Clearwater Police Department
