Alligator swims through street
We’ve seen alligators on the side of the road, strolling on sidewalks and swimming in private pools.
But this recent incident combines all those scenes into one.
While at a traffic light by a Wawa gas station in Pinellas Park the other day as he was getting off lunch, commuter Roger Light Jr. noticed people recording something on the road. Then he saw what they saw – a gator swimming on a flooded street.
“Who is playing Jumanji in Saint Petersburg, Florida?” he joked on Facebook where he posted a video of the gator approaching his car on that rainy day. “I was wondering why people were out videotaping in the pouring rain and people backing up in the right turn lane that the gator was in.”
He added, “one minute I’m just looking around waiting for traffic light to turn green and than next thing I knew I see this gator coming towards me on my passenger side lol.”
His post has been shared more than 1,600 times on Facebook where it has been viewed 95,000 times since Aug. 15.
“I was very surprised it went viral,” Light told the Sun Sentinel Monday. “All I did was share it on my Facebook page and than everyone started sharing it.”
He added, “I knew I had to take a picture of the gator because no one would of believed me, plus wanted to let my friends know that there was a gator around that area.”
A nuisance alligator trapper contracted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, was dispatched to the scene at Gandy Boulevard North and Grand Ave. The 8-foot-6-inch alligator was removed and processed, said Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for commission.
In most cases including this one, the alligator is processed for its hide and meat, said Sapp. But occasionally, a nuisance alligator is sold alive to an alligator farm, animal exhibit or zoo, she noted.
Generally, an alligator is considered a nuisance if it’s at least 4 feet long and poses a threat to people or pets.
“Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida,” Sapp said.
People worried about an alligator in their neighborhood should call FFWC hotlin e at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).