This was so cool!



They've live here at least 15 years and never had one of these show up.





It was about 4 feet long and my neighbor called a trapper to come and take it away. Turns out it was actually 4 feet 8 inches. The trapper measured it.



I came home to look at the photos and then went back. My neighbor decided to bring it out front.



He was thinking of taking it and releasing it into a local pond but then the trapper showed up.



This guy looked like he belonged on Animal Planet.



It was just like in the movies. He got on top of it and put tape around it's mouth.



Just before he did that, the gator did the famous death roll.



Sadly, because it was over 4 feet long, it will be euthanized.

It joined several other unlucky critters in the back of the truck. The biggest one was 6 and a half feet long!



Wow! That's the most excitement we've had in this neighborhood since I moved here.

Here's a video I took. It shows just how fast even the smaller ones are. And yeah, that's me and my neighbor talking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klV_n11a88M

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I don't think I would want to live where you are.I would be afraid to leave my house.

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Just curious, do you know why they euthanize gators that are over 4 feet?

Another quesstion. Does the home owner pay for the removal of the animal? Or is the trapper paid by the city, county, state? Maybe a dumb question, but the animal shows have never said who pays for it.

From what I've heard from watching Animal Planet, they can't relocate the larger ones because they find their way back to where they came from. I'm sure there are other reasons.

Went to Florida about 6 or 7 years ago and didn't see one. I was kinda bummed out. Heck, we moved to Maine in 1994 and it took me almost 10 years to finally see a moose. Man...........those are one big animal!

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~~just open your eyes and see that life if beautiful~~

I didn't ask but I'm pretty sure that this is a service provided by the state.

And yes on the homing instinct the alligators have. If they find a place they like, they will try and get back to it over and over.

It would be lovely if there was a haven for them but, with all the gators in Florida, it would be maxed out in no time. The trapper had 3 others in his truck late on a Friday afternoon. It seems like this is quite a problem especially during mating season.

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Thanks for the info.

Wow! I am like Dolly if I saw that in my yard I'd either pull up stakes and moves or be very very afraid to go outside! Do neighborhood cats disappear?

He looks like he's smiling but I'm sure that's a trick.

All we have to worry about deer and the rare cougar but even the cougars don't stray far from the mountain here.

YOU should be on Animal Planet with all the wildlife you see. lol

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

I agree with Dolly and Anna, I'd be too afraid to leave my house. The only wildlife I see are deer, raccoons, skunks and possums. In fact yesterday I saw a baby deer with its mother.

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~~~~**Maryann**~~~~

I just got a firm grip on reality....
Now I can strangle it

I grew up in Florida. There is nothing really to be afraid of. When I was a kid we used to swim in lakes and ponds that we knew the alligators were on the other side of. They stayed on their side we stayed on ours. I used to go horseback riding in an area that was known for alligators and we would ride past them and they wouldn't do anything. Most any body of fresh water in Florida has alligators. If we lived in fear of them we would have never been able to swim in the lakes and have fun as kids.

It is pretty rare for one to come so close to a house or bother people.