Watch: Deputies wrangle alligator outside a Florida high school
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are about 1.3 million alligators in the state and are found in all 67 counties.
Deputies capture alligator outside a Florida high school
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office has released body camera video showing deputies wrangling a gator on Tuesday morning in Parrish, Florida.
PARRISH, Fla. – Video from west-central Florida shows Manatee County deputies wrangling a large alligator that was found outside a high school campus Tuesday morning.
An alert school bus driver spotted the large reptile in the vicinity of Parrish Community High School, outside of Bradenton, and alerted dispatchers.
The alligator was estimated to be seven to eight feet long, and a fence appeared to be an obstacle preventing it from reaching a nearby pond.
"We are going to have a pretty good fight with this one," Sgt. Rob Hendrickson, with the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, could be heard saying in the video.
A group of deputies, including Hendrickson, cornered the reptile before using ropes and tape to secure the animal.
The alligator did not go easy, putting up a fight until it grew tired from trying to escape the lassos.
Once subdued, a deputy wrapped tape around the alligator’s jaw – a common practice during transport.
"That’s the biggest fight we’ve had in a while," a deputy said once the animal was secured in the back of a pickup truck.
A school district employee described the takedown as looking easy, to which the deputies replied that it wasn’t their first rodeo.
Aside from being unable to reach the lake, the alligator appeared to be in good health and was transported to a nearby river.
During its release at the boat ramp, the alligator appeared to moonwalk backward away from the police cruiser.
"That’s pretty amazing," a deputy said while watching the animal’s excursion.
Video from west-central Florida shows Manatee County deputies wrangling a large alligator that found its way onto a high school campus Tuesday morning.
(Manatee County Sheriff's Office / FOX Weather)
SEE THE MASSIVE ALLIGATOR FOUND LURKING IN A SOUTH FLORIDA SWAMP
Despite the early-morning spectacle, operations at the high school appeared to be uninterrupted but with a new wild story to tell.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates there are about 1.3 million alligators in the state, found in all 67 counties.
The agency urges anyone with concerns about a nuisance alligator in the Sunshine State to call its toll-free hotline at 866-392-4286.
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