WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A bit of chaos ensued outside an elementary school in Wesley Chapel when an alligator nearly got loose from the trapper wrangling it.
It reportedly happened around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday near an elementary school in Wesley Chapel, according to Tampa viewer Carolynn Jones.
The large gator reportedly wandered up to the Tampa Bay area's school grounds getting close before wildlife officials and an alligator trapper intervened.
Video shared by Jones and Mark Detrio of Wesley Chapel shows the moments the gator nearly got loose from its bonds.
The trapper goes to sit on the gator and lifts its snout up while several people hold restraints. As the man does so, the gator starts flailing and manages to buck the trapper off its back.
The trapper is subsequently knocked on his back and the gator gets dangerously close to biting him as it attempts to turn. Thankfully, the people holding the other restraints were able to quickly subdue the alligator. The man appears physically unscathed.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for more information and the agency sent the following statement:
"On April 30, 2024, a contracted nuisance alligator trapper for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded to a report of an alligator walking down a street in Wesley Chapel. The 9’ alligator was captured and removed by the trapper."
According to the FWC, May and June are peak months for alligator mating season. Courtship begins before that in April.
This could mean more alligators can be seen roaming in areas they shouldn't be as they search for a mate.
Anyone concerned about an alligator should call FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. After someone calls the hotline, FWC sends a contracted nuisance alligator to safely remove and potentially relocate the gator.