’Don’t come out!' Viral video captures alligator paying visit to Florida neighborhood
- Alligator mating season "officially" begins in May or June, but male alligators begin courting in early April
- Alligators may range up to several miles seeking mates and new habitats
A Florida woman was not terribly welcoming to her new neighbor: an alligator that was spotted wandering around her Fort Myers house and lurking under a car.
Siara Mercedes Grant told Storyful she got a heads-up about the new visitor on Thursday, April 18.
“I was cooking dinner when my neighbor called me to tell me there was an alligator outside of my house and to warn my husband, who would be coming home soon,” she said. "I opened the door to see where it was, and my husband yelled at me from the driveway, ’Don’t come out!’
Grant's husband videoed the gator, which she said was hiding under the neighbor's car before trying to knock open the door to another house.
“Then he started walking back to our house, so we ran inside before he did. Then he stayed outside our door for a while before he kept going on his merry way,” Grant said.
Professional alligator wranglers came the next day to remove the reptile.
Alligator season is coming in Florida
Gators are turning up everywhere as alligator mating season approaches, during which the gators that are chased out of their habitats by stronger ones wander around looking for new places to live and find mates. This month alone, alligators have been spotted in a Bonita Springs neighborhood, attacking a man walking his dogs in Naples, getting stuck in a kitchen in Venice, on a golf course and more.
What do I do if I see an alligator?
Do not attempt to capture an alligator yourself, and it's against the law to shoot at them. If you encounter an alligator you think will be a threat to people, pets or property, call the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 1‐866‐FWC‐GATOR (392‐4286) or visit myfwc.com.
The FWC’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) uses contracted nuisance alligator trappers throughout the state to remove alligators 4 feet in length or greater that are believed to pose a threat.