600 LB gator found wandering around Florida mall

Photo by Lee County Sheriff's Office | Facebook

The last thing you expect to see when you go to the mall is an alligator, but that's exactly what happened on December 21, 2023, when the Lee County Sheriff's Office responded to a call regarding a 12-foot, 600-pound gator wandering around the Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida.
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According to the release shared by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Sergeant Toslluku, Deputy Cevertus, and Deputy Roedding responded to the scene, working together with Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) staff to move the massive guy to safety.

Accompanying video footage shows the officers lifting the gator as a team, carefully loading him into the back of a law enforcement vehicle.

​According to the FWC website, the gator is just shy of the Sunshine State record, which was set by a 14-foot, 3-and-a-half-inch male found in Lake Washington in Brevard County.

The FWC states that the gator was captured under the State Nuisance Alligator Program — a program aimed at addressing alligator threats in developed areas with a focus on conserving them in their natural habitat.
Article by Rachael Volpe