ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A Florida deputy used nothing more than a pool skimmer and his bare hands to remove a young alligator from a backyard swimming pool last week, an unusual call that ended with the animal safely relocated, CBS News reported.
The encounter took place July 25 in St. Augustine after residents reported spotting the 3- to 4-foot alligator swimming in their pool, according to the report.
Body camera footage released by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office shows the deputy using a skimmer to guide the reptile toward the pool deck before reaching in and grabbing it by hand.
“Oh, I got you and you’re fine. I know you’re super mad,” the deputy is heard saying as the alligator thrashed in his grip.
He continued to speak calmly to the agitated animal as he carried it out of the yard. “I know you’re mad. I know, I know. You’re so angry,” he said.
According to the sheriff’s office, the deputy, identified as Deputy Richardson, transported the alligator to a nearby pond away from residential areas. A social media post from the department joked that while the gator wasn’t happy to have its pool time cut short or to ride in a patrol car, “it was buckled in and safely relocated.”
The incident comes during alligator hatching season in Florida. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, courtship begins in April with mating typically occurring in May or June. Hatching occurs from mid-August through early September. Juvenile alligators are often more visible during this period as they move through wetlands and residential areas.
What is the most challenging animal rescue you have faced?
Police1 readers respond
- I once captured a live beaver with two bicycles and a cat carrier. It was successfully transported to a nearby river and released. In second place was a rosy boa constrictor that had snuck on to a Greyhound bus. Third place was a live chicken captured in an outdoor pool area at a motel.
- I “herded” several loose pigs down a busy highway, into a residential area, back to where the pigs lived. I kept their interest in following me by offering them dog cookies, which I keep in my patrol car.
