Florida Homeowner's Ring Camera Catches Massive Gator Lurking Just Outside
Anyone living in Florida is probably pretty aware of their reptilian neighbors. It's estimated that there are about anywhere from 1.3 million to 2 million alligators living in the Sunshine State, or the equivalent of one alligator for every 10 to 15 Flordians.
But one Florida resident living in Wesley Chapel, FL—about 20 miles north of Tampa—likely wasn't expecting "neighbor" to be taken literally. Identified only as "Lucia," the homeowner was shocked to see her Ring camera alert her to a huge gator lurking just outside her door.
As you can see in the footage, which was reported by 10 Tampa Bay News earlier this month, the gator approaches the door and has itself a look around, before backing slowly away and turning around.
Even though it didn't stay long, suffice it to say, Lucia had not been expecting the visitor—even though her neighborhood has ponds, including one directly behind her home.
"That was the first time I saw the gator on my property, but I hadn’t been checking the camera for every activity," she said in a statement to Ring. "The reason why I did check it was because my dog barked while I was sleeping at [4:30 a.m.] and when I woke up later, I looked to see what got her riled up."
"After my shock of seeing that gator, I’ve been diligently checking it in those morning hours and up to about a week prior," Lucia continued, noting that she hadn't seen the gator again, just armadillos and possums.
"I do love gators and have a lot of neighbors that are protective of them,” she added.
