Sun Sep 15 11:00:49 UTC 2024: ## Florida Deputies Help Relocate 8-Foot Alligator Found in Bonita Springs Yard
**Bonita Springs, FL** – Lee County Sheriff’s deputies and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials teamed up last weekend to relocate an eight-foot alligator found lurking in the front yard of a Bonita Springs home.
Body camera footage released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office shows several officers carrying the alligator, its mouth taped shut, to a truck. The gator was then safely secured in the vehicle and transported to a new location.
“OH SNAP!,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook, “Over the weekend, this 8-foot swamp puppy showed up on a Bonita Springs resident’s doorstep!”
The incident highlights the growing issue of human-alligator interactions in Florida. The FWC reports that alligators are present in every county in the state, and with increasing human population growth, the potential for conflict rises.
“Although many Floridians have learned to coexist with alligators, the potential for conflict always exists,” the FWC said in a statement.
The agency urges residents to maintain a safe distance from alligators, never feed them, and only swim in designated areas.
If you encounter an alligator, contact the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.
This latest incident follows a string of similar reports in recent years, including a tragic incident last year where the remains of a homeless woman were found inside an alligator’s mouth in Pinellas County.
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