ESTERO, Fla. β With Christmas just a few days away, last-minute shoppers will flock to malls across the country to wrap up their holiday shopping.
But here in Florida, there's always a chance you'll find more than just a good deal on that perfect gift, especially when there's water nearby. Just ask anyone who was at the Coconut Point Mall in Estero on Thursday.
Deputies were called to the Southwest Florida mall after a massive, 12-foot, 600-pound alligator was discovered, according to a Facebook post from the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
If you think that's a big gator...
You're right.
To put a 12-foot gator into perspective, the record-longest alligator measured by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) came in at 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches, according to FWC's website. That 654-pound gator was harvested back in 2010 in Lake Washington in Brevard County.
FWC officers helped Lee County deputies get the "massive guy to safety," removing it from the Coconut Point Mall grounds. Hopefully, it was able to finish up its Christmas shopping beforehand!
Of course, alligator sightings are nothing new in Florida.
Closer to home, a wayward gator was safely relocated after wandering into a Dunedin neighborhood on the first night of Hanukkah. Albeit, it was nowhere close to 12-feet long.
And last month, just a day before Thanksgiving, a 7-foot gator was spotted on a public walking trail in the Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, prompting a temporary closure. At the time, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office joked it was "probably prepping for Thanksgiving dinner like the rest of us."
These gators must be in the holiday spirit this year!
If you ever come across a concerning gator, you're urged to call FWC's Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.