Bubba was out doing yard work this afternoon, while the Littles and I were making pickles. Bubba comes running in the house and exclaims, “Mom, there’s an alligator in our yard!” I pause, and look at him to see if he’s joking or not, and he seemed to believe what he was saying. Granted, we live in Florida, and gators are common…but I live in the city, at least a solid mile from any lake…I thought surely, it’s just a snake or maybe someone’s pet iguana got loose.
So, we all trek across the yard to the fence line, and Bubba points to the vines growing on the fence, and sure enough, there it was!
Can you seem ‘em?
Good camouflage, no?
I asked the neighbors if they were missing a pet alligator, and they thought I was joking :) We decided we better call the police since animal control was closed for the day. The police said if they had someone available, they would send them out, but I really needed to call the Fish and Game people. Well, the Fish and Game people turn off their phones at 5:00, and it was 5:05. About the time I got that news, the police showed up and assessed the situation. I told them Fish and Game wouldn’t do anything after hours unless someone’s life was in danger.
Next thing I know, more police show up…
We live in a small town, must not have been much going on.
We all stood around thinking what to do, when a female officer showed up who had experience with gators. She was pretty confident she could catch it without getting hurt.
It took a few minutes of chasing the little guy, trying to get him in the right position so she could grab him behind the head without being bitten. He was angry! Hissing and snapping…
Nice photo bomb Little Man.
The kids were super excited about the whole process, and I kept having to remind them to stand back…everyone was a little jumpy.
She finally got him and gently dropped him into one of our small animal kennels.
He looks thrilled, doesn’t he?
They took him to a nearby lake and let him go, and that was the end of our gator adventure!
You just never know what’s going to happen at the Frazzled Mama’s house!