DUNEDIN, Fla. — A wayward alligator is now back in a safe environment after a concerned Dunedin resident called the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for help Thursday.
"Yesterday, right as the first night of Hanukkah was beginning, this scaly friend was found on the sidewalk in a Dunedin neighborhood," a Facebook post from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office reads.
The person who called for help was worried that the gator "would hurt others or itself."
The sheriff's office said that deputies were able to find the gator and safely relocate the animal to a nearby lake.
"The gator may have only been looking to participate in some holiday fun, but they're going to have to stick to celebrating with their gator friends," the Facebook post continues.
The sheriff's office also used the opportunity to tout the brave women on its force. A photo accompanying the Facebook post shows four women holding the gator after its rescue.
Obviously, in Florida, calls like this are not out of the ordinary — a fact not lost on Pinellas County deputies.
"...we all love a good gator call — this is Florida!" the sheriff's office said.
Just last month, a 7-foot gator was spotted on a public walking trail in Pinellas County.
Deputies with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office's Marine and Environmental Lands Unit responded to the sighting in the Brooker Creek Preserve removed the alligator and temporarily closed part of the preserve in the name of public safety.
But, like our Dunedin gator surfacing just in time for Hanukkah, the Brooker Creek Preserve gator also emerged just in time for a popular holiday — Thanksgiving.
At the time, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office joked that "the gator was probably just prepping for Thanksgiving dinner like the rest of us."
Of course, any gator sighting is a reminder to be respectful of wildlife and cautious of your surroundings.
