Twelve feet and 463 pounds of nightmare fuel was discovered in spectacular fashion when it wandered onto a Florida highway and was hit by a semi truck, according to News4Jax.
Interstate 10 was temporarily shut down so that the behemoth could be trapped by Vaughan Gators, the licensed trapper for Florida Fish and Wildlife in Leon County.
“He wasn’t happy we were trying to remove him,” said Vaughan Gators owner Broderick Vaughan.
The alligator’s skull was partially crushed in the accident, and unfortunately, the magnificent beast had to be put down.
Currently, Florida is in the midst of alligator mating season, which typically runs from May to July depending on the weather. During this period, it’s not uncommon to see massive gators like this one out and about searching for mating partners, says the FWC.
Last month, an 11-foot gator broke through a low kitchen window and had to be removed from a Clearwater home.
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This article appears in Jun 19-25, 2019.