WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — An alligator wandering through a Wesley Chapel neighborhood Monday morning prompted a response from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office and a gator wrangler.
Surveillance footage and videos captured by resident Renee Acs showed the alligator crossing a roadway and camping out in a driveway in the Chasewood subdivision. A wrangler eventually captured the alligator, taped its mouth shut, and moved it to another location as nearby onlookers cheered.
WATCH: Neighbors and wildlife experts react after a wandering alligator surprises this Wesley Chapel community
Erie Montgomery, who has lived in the area for about four years, said she has seen alligators in her backyard pond but never on the streets.
"It's fearful, but it's something that comes with the territory when you live in Florida," Montgomery said.
Montgomery said she sees them often.
"We see a gator every, you know, a few weeks or so, he pops his eyes out of the little retention pond in the back, sometimes lays and sunbathes, but we're aware he's here," Montgomery said.
But she said she likes to keep a safe distance, knowing this is their home too.
"We invaded their territory, so we have to make room for everyone," Montgomery said.
Dan Costell, Zoo Tampa’s curator of herpetology, said he is not surprised by the encounter because it is alligator mating season.
"What happens is the alpha males will pick a spot that they like and defend it from other males and actually call females in them," Costell said. "That guy probably got pushed out of his home by a bigger gator and was looking for a new one."
Costell said any body of freshwater could contain an alligator and warned people not to feed them.
"They lose their fear of people, and then there's a problem," Costell said. "They don't know the difference between your hand and the food you're feeding them, so yes, it can become dangerous."
Additionally, Costell said it's important to keep your pets on a tight leash if you want to protect them from gators.
"If you really like your animals, try to not walk them by fresh bodies of water because essentially you're fishing for an alligator. A dog is a natural prey item for an alligator, and he will come up and snatch it."
Experts advise anyone who sees an alligator during mating season to leave it alone.
If they start to become a nuissance, FWC advises you to call its toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
Important to note, experts said if you do call a gator wrangler, the animal will most likely be euthanized. FWC's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program explains why saying, "Relocated alligators often try to return to their capture site. They can create problems for people or other alligators along the way. If an alligator successfully returns, capturing it again would be necessary and likely more difficult the second time."
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