Nearly 13-foot gator captured in Florida

https://local12.com ^ | May 27, 2021 | Staff

[Red Badger]

MILTON, Fla. (WEAR) — Trappers captured a 12.9-foot gator Tuesday evening in the Wright Basin in Milton, Florida.

A woman who lives on Lakeside Drive in Milton called nuisance gator trappers, who arrived and captured the gator. It was then taken to a gator farm.

The men who captured the gator are Colby Cannon and Scott Bradley.

The woman says she’s also seen a six-foot gator and babies.

Officer Robert Ramos with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation says alligators rarely attack people intentionally.

However, he does say it doesn't hurt to call out their team.

“If you can look at an alligator and tell that it’s being aggressive, if it’s coming up toward people — you know that’s not a natural behavior we want. It should be going away from people. So if you see an alligator like that, please call us, because we will probably move that alligator because they shouldn’t be coming up to people, you know, in the middle of the day. It means that there is probably — or perhaps — hand feeding or something like that," Ramos tells Channel 3.

Ramos says who removes the alligator depends on the size.

The bigger the gator, the more likely licensed trappers will take over.

Homeowners in the area say alligators are pretty common in the area.

Bill Calfee has lived on the Wright Basin for 35 years, just a few houses down from where trappers caught the gator.

"It really is rare for this area to see one that big. You know, I've seen the little babies in the water," says Calfee.

FWC says if you feel threatened by an alligator you can call them and their officers will come out.

Those officers will then decide whether they or a contractor needs to remove the alligator.

[rktman]

Yup. Former pets that got to big? Like pythons?

[Keyhopper]

No, actually it a crocodile refuge and Turkey point has a full to biologist to take care of them. You think gators are protected, the Crocs are federally protected.