It was an unusual sight, but not impossible -- a nearly 8-foot alligator surprised bathers at a west-central Florida beach on Saturday.
The distressed reptile wandered onto the beach at Anna Maria Island west of Bradenton on Saturday, the Bradenton Herald reported.
It measured 7 feet, 9 inches long, and came ashore along the island’s rocky northern tip. After several reports were filed with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, a trapper was contracted to catch the alligator, according to the Herald.
The beach was eroded from the effects of Hurricane Ian last month, and it is possible the storm washed the alligator out of fresh water and into the salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico, WTVT reported.
The trapper removed the alligator and realized that its leg was injured, the Herald reported.
The reptile was later euthanized, according to the newspaper.
“While the American alligator prefers freshwater lakes and slow-moving rivers and their associated wetlands, they are seen in brackish water habitats occasionally,” FWC spokesperson Tammy Sapp told the Herald. “Alligators can swim in and tolerate salt water for a short period of time, but it is not their preferred habitat.”
A Manatee County sheriff’s deputy originally responded to the call, and was later assisted by police from Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach, WTVT reported.
Devon Straight, who was helping deputies and police officers, posted a video on Facebook that showed a man getting close to the reptile and placing a rope around its neck. The alligator did several barrel rolls before it was subdued.
“Interesting end to my shift assisting MSO & HBPD in Anna Maria,” Straight wrote on Facebook.
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