A 12-foot (3.60 m) alligator has joined the Christmas shopping frenzy in Lee County, Florida. The 600 lb (272 kg) beast was found at a shopping center in South Florida by people who were doing their holiday shopping on December 21.
Once informed of the situation, local authorities quickly determined that this unusual customer at Coconut Point Mall posed a public safety concern.
The response required the collaboration of at least eight officers from the sheriff’s office as well as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to capture the alligator. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office shared part of this operation on its social media, and the event was widely reported by local media. In a strange way, it sparked more laughter than fear among Floridians.
“There truly is never a dull moment while patrolling Lee County,” the sheriff’s office said in its Facebook post.
People were having a field day in the comments section on these posts.
“He wanted to get into the holiday spirit with everyone!” declares an Internet user. “Wow, he would have caught lots of elves and probably a Santa or two,” exclaimed another.
The beast was relocated to a wildlife reserve 70 km from the shopping center, to the great relief of many, who wanted to shop in peace without harming the reptile.
