9-foot alligator was seen ‘stalking dog walkers’ in Florida. See deputies wrangle it
A 9-foot alligator was seen “stalking dog walkers” — until Florida deputies helped wrangle it, photos show.
“It was a quiet and large reptile, one you would never expect to see hiding in a patch of sea grapes near a popular place to walk dogs,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office wrote Sept. 18 on Facebook.
After determining the lurking alligator was “too close for comfort,” Sgt. Crystal Nash and Deputy Dawn Ferris stepped in. The two “fearless gator warriors” helped catch the animal before a professional trapper responded, deputies said.
Photos shared online show the gator had a rope tied to its neck and its jaw closed shut after being tracked down in Sailfish Point. The neighborhood is in the waterfront city of Stuart, a roughly 105-mile drive north from Miami
“This 9-foot gator caused concern when spotted days prior, crossing from the riverside to the beachside and concealing itself near the popular walking area,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its post. “Yesterday, the gator returned to the beachside and moved into the lanai of a community condominium.”
After the gator was captured, it was moved to a different area. Now, the sheriff’s office is urging people to stay vigilant.
“If you are walking your pet anywhere near an area like this, please keep your eyes peeled for patches of brush or sea grapes, which can serve as concealment for these reptiles,” deputies wrote. “They are fast and can lunge with great force if they target something they want.”
Alligators live near fresh and brackish water throughout the Sunshine State and can grow to be more than 14 feet. Many of the reptiles are afraid of people and rarely bite them for reasons that aren’t food related.
There’s a 1-in 3.1-million chance that someone living in the state with get seriously injured in an unprovoked gator attack, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Sept. 20.
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 11:23 AM with the headline "9-foot alligator was seen ‘stalking dog walkers’ in Florida. See deputies wrangle it."
