A 10-foot alligator was spotted making itself comfortable in a Florida suburb, leisurely strolling through a Naples country club.
The reptile was filmed walking around the Forest Glen Golf and Country Club after wandering from a nearby river. Residents managed to capture the incident on video which was posted to social media by Fort Myers news station WINK-TV.
In the footage posted to Facebook by Matt Devitt of WINK Weather, the alligator can be seen crossing the road as residents stand by shocked, keeping their distance. The giant reptile appears to be moving calmly and does not seem provoked, eventually reaching a patch of grass.
Florida is home to 1.3 million alligators. The animals can be found in all 67 counties of the state, which is home to more than 21 million people. Gators prefer the state's swamps and waterways but are occasionally spotted in populated areas.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived at the area where this particular alligator was spotted to remove it, NBC Los Angeles reported. Nobody was injured by the animal.
It is not uncommon for alligators to wander into neighborhoods occasionally, especially at certain times of the year.
Alligator mating season begins in early April, meaning the reptiles become more active while they are in search of a mate. They are fierce predators and can pose a threat to humans if they feel provoked or threatened. However, despite the state's abundant alligator population, attacks remain very rare.
Most of the time, alligators will act calmly as long as they are left alone. If an alligator is not proving to be a danger to anybody, officials will remove it and relocate it to an area away from people. If an alligator displays a threat, however, it may be deemed a "nuisance alligator."
The FWC operates a statewide nuisance alligator program, which keeps tabs on threats the reptiles pose in developed areas. An alligator may be considered a nuisance if, "it's at least 4 feet in length and believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property," FWC says on its website.
Nuisance alligators are euthanized in order to prevent any harm from coming to people. They are not relocated as they will often attempt to wander back to the site of their capture.
Alligators usually only target people if they have become accustomed to human food. This can cause them to lose their fear of humans, meaning they are bolder in approaching people.
Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about alligators? Let us know via nature@newsweek.com.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Robyn White is a Newsweek Nature Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on wildlife, science and the ... Read more
