Baby gator beats the heat in Florida fountain

UPI ^ | May 14, 2024 | Ben Hooper

[Red Badger]

May 14 (UPI) -- A Florida woman out for her morning run came across an unexpected scene: a baby alligator beating the summer heat with a dip in a public fountain.

Lauren Shrage said she and her dog were out for their morning run in Palm Beach Gardens when she spotted something in the water in the fountain next to the Mirabella community's entrance gate.

She recorded video when she realized the object was actually a small alligator taking a dip in the cool water.

"Are you having a good day?" Shrage asks the gator in the video.

Shrage said a concerned neighbor eventually plucked the reptile out of the water and transported it to a more suitable body of water.

[Red Badger]

Gator Ping!.................

[mikey_hates_everything]

It’s a baby! Florida MAN would have had a new pet.

[gundog]

Any body of water in FL may harbor a ‘gator. Fountain, drainage ditch....

[fwdude]

Baby gator are so cute. And when they squeak!.....

[FamiliarFace]

Since gators seem to be in almost every body of water in Florida these days, can someone tell me if they are found in the icy cold springs? We will be spending a few days near Crystal River and the springs near there pretty soon.

[FamiliarFace]

See my post 6.

[Red Badger]

A gator can be anywhere...................

[AF_Blue]

Normally not. Enjoy the springs.

If your golf ball lands near a water hazard, leave it there.

[FamiliarFace]

Thanks! If a golf ball lands in my kayak, I’ll try to toss it back where it came from!

[FamiliarFace]

Gators are everywhere, but what about the creatures where they get their mascot from?

[Red Badger]

If you are in Florida and there’s water, there’s a gator somewhere. All they need is a place to sun themselves during the day......But gators are just one of the water dangers: Cottonmouth Moccasins, Copperheads, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, Pygmy Rattlesnakes, Florida Panthers, Coyotes and the occasional Bobcat....................

[Hieronymus]

Drunken snowbirds?

[Vendome]

Looks like a coin purse to me...

[FamiliarFace]

Ahhh, thanks for the reminder of the darn snakes!! I hate snakes!

[Red Badger]

....or a cell phone cover..................

[Red Badger]

Oh, and Snapping Turtles, I forgot about them!.............

[FamiliarFace]

You are listing many of the reasons I only visit Florida now. I’ll take all the possums, skunks, raccoons, deer, chipmunks, and squirrels on my property every day over the snakes, alligators, panthers, mosquitoes, etc that Florida offers of late. You’ve even mentioned bears before.

[kickstart]

Transported to a more suitable body of water where it is more likely to be eaten by something bigger.

[exPBRrat]

HUH!