By Michael Moore Jr.
The Bradenton Herald
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputies encountered a little more alligator than they bargained for while trying to remove the reptile from a backyard.
The deputies initially estimated the alligator was 4 to 5 feet long, according to body camera video shared by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
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That estimate would prove to be a little off.
Deputies had responded to a report of an alligator in a backyard and were trying to encourage the reptile toward a nearby pond, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
“Go on,” a deputy can be heard telling the alligator in the video.
Instead, the alligator hissed, turned toward the deputy and sent him scrambling backward.
“Stay clear of it,” a deputy said.
After another noise from the alligator, the deputies reconsidered their approach.
“Yeah, this is a job for a trapper,” one said.
Deputies called a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the home, who secured the alligator with a catch pole before dragging it from the backyard, video shows.
With the alligator secured, the trapper pulled out a tape measure and settled the question of its size.
“8-foot, 4,” the trapper announced.
The deputies immediately recognized just how much they had underestimated their backyard visitor.
“We were way off,” one said.
The sheriff’s office said the 8-foot, 4-inch alligator was relocated.
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