An ‘aggressive’ alligator was spotted at this Florida park. Watch it eat breakfast
A park in Central Florida was forced to close on Sunday morning after an “aggressive” alligator was spotted.
According to Mount Dora Police Department’s Facebook page, Palm Island Park had to shut temporarily over safety concerns.
A sign posted by authorities reportedly said “aggressive 10 foot plus alligator to be relocated.”
Resident Rick Cooper was there that morning, and wrote in the comments that he managed to capture video of the large reptile, which was having a protein-packed breakfast.
“Unusual encounter on the boardwalk this morning,” Cooper captioned the post. “After a moment or two to take photos and a video — giving the gator his space — I left him alone.”
Cops came soon after and shut down the park, the bystander said, adding that he was surprised to see the alligator so high above the water.
“To get to this spot, he had to go quite a distance,” Cooper wrote.
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Mount Dora Buzz’s Facebook page reposted the video, which has already racked up almost 100,000 views.
“A wayward gator took a stroll on Mount Dora’s scenic Palm Island Boardwalk,” read the caption. “No worries, he already had a meal!”
In the clip, the gator is seen toward the edge, still, near the water, right under a bench on an observatory deck. It has a large bird — which Cooper tagged as an anhinga, similar to a cormorant — in its chompers.
“See which way he’s headed?” whispers a man off camera.
“Oh, he’s big,” says another man.
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In the Buzz’s comments section, many people duly voiced their concern, as the park’s boardwalk is a popular destination for strolling, sightseeing and walking dogs: “Oh my! Been there in that exact spot!”
Others joked that the animal just wanted to eat in peace in the shade.
Though the alligator does not appear “aggressive” in the footage, it reportedly was seen hissing and lunging toward folks.
By Monday morning, Palm Island had reopened, but visitors were told to enter at their own risk as the gator had not been found.
