Look who showed up at a Florida middle school — a 10-foot, 800-pound alligator ‘dude’
In-person students at Lakeland Highlands Middle School in Lakeland, Florida, had more to worry about Thursday morning than mask-wearing and social distancing
According to a tweet from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a large alligator was roaming the grounds around 7:30 a.m.
In the post, you can see the 10-footer sunning itself on a sidewalk near campus. Concerned parents saw the gator hanging out on the road that the students frequent and called authorities.
“Deputies met this dude on a Lakeland sidewalk Thursday: 10 feet long, 800 pounds. A trapper had to come get him from the residential/school area,” said the PCSO’s caption, along with video.
In the quick clip, you can see the gator with a snare around its thick neck lunge forward, thrash and hiss.
The unwanted visitor was classified as a “nuisance alligator,” and its meat and hide were reportedly harvested.
The post added that the video was shot by Polk Deputy Ashtin Mosley.
“And no, she won’t be sporting a new belt and boots next week.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 11:02 AM with the headline "Look who showed up at a Florida middle school — a 10-foot, 800-pound alligator ‘dude’."
