A Wildwood police officer was forced to wrangle an alligator on Tuesday afternoon when the medium-sized reptile crawled up to a Lakeside Landings residence.
Officer Justin Pope was called to the Oxford home in the 5000 block of Harbour Drive shortly after 4 p.m. and when he arrived, he found the alligator on the front porch of the residence. Pope, who at one point noted that the “gator is not happy” and was at the front door, was able to catch the reptile by using a long pole with a wire hoop on the end of it.
A short time later, the alligator was safely returned to water and wasn’t harmed. There also were no injuries reported during the incident, which was caught on video by a neighbor’s Ring doorbell.
Area law enforcement and wildlife officials constantly are encouraging all Floridians to be alert and cautious when exiting their homes. Alligators are prevalent throughout the state and oftentimes have been found at front doors of homes and even in swimming pools.
In The Villages, alligators are spotted on a daily basis at the various golf courses, in retention ponds and lakes and at the Fenney Nature Trail and Sharon Rose Wiechens Preserve. Oftentimes, the creatures act like they are oblivious to nearby Villagers or other wildlife. But sometimes they almost appear to be posing for photos and actually flashing a toothy smile for the cameras.
The Villages’ most famous alligator, Larry, used to live in a pond behind Brownwood Paddock Square, not far from the new Lofts at Brownwood apartments. But he was captured in March and relocated to Gatorland after he appeared to become too comfortable around people – possibly because he was being fed by Villagers and their guests.
Wildlife officials are constantly reminding Floridians and visitors that it’s illegal – and dangerous – to fed alligators, which can grow up to 15 feet long and weigh close to 1,000 pounds. They also offer other tips to stay safe while living in the Sunshine State with about 1.2 million alligators:
- Don’t ever feed the creatures.
- Be extremely cautious during mating season (April through July).
- Keep dogs on leashes when walking them and stay at least 25 feet or more away from water.
- Never walk dogs near the edge of any body of water.
- Always remember that alligators can move quite fast despite giving the appearance of being lazy and slow.
- Avoid swimming in rivers and stick to springs where the water is shallow and clear and gators aren’t likely to congregate.
- Be extremely cautious when fishing around areas prone to being popular with alligators, as they have been known to try and grab a hooked fish.
- Never attempt to move an alligator from a roadway.
- Never approach or touch alligator nests or eggs.
- Never corner an alligator.
- Always remember that alligators are not pets.
- Don’t ever harass alligators in any way.
- If you’re going to be out in the wilderness or around the water, educate yourself about alligators and then practice what you’ve learned.