Finding an alligator in Florida is not unusual. The state’s large reptiles can be discovered in many unusual places. So when there was a report of a gator in a storage shed in Polk County, deputies responded with caution.
As it turned out, the alligator was just a lot of hot air.
Deputy Mark Trexler of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office discovered that the gator was merely a pool float, the department wrote on social media.
“He came … he saw … he conquered the beast,” the sheriff’s office posted on Twitter, along with photos of the deputy and the inflated gator. “He even knocked the wind out of it. Literally.”
Deputy Trexler went to a call about an alligator in a storage shed. He came…he saw…he conquered the beast. He even knocked the wind out of it. Literally. The gator turned out to be a pool floatie. #PCSO#Crikey#TheGatorHunter#TuneInNextTimeWhenHeWrestlesAPoolNoodle pic.twitter.com/5ZXRnG3tBW
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 (@PolkCoSheriff) September 9, 2020
While alligator mating season begins in April, eggs laid by the reptiles typically hatch from mid-August to September, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Finding a cool, secluded place to guard eggs before they hatch means that an alligator in a shed would not necessarily be unusual.
Nevertheless, the sheriff’s office had some fun with the situation, posting hashtags such as #TheGatorHunter, #Crikey and #TuneInNextTimeWhenHeWrestlesAPoolNoodle.
Cox Media Group
