A 12-foot alligator has joined the holiday shopping spree in Lee County, Florida. The 600-pound beast was found at a South Florida mall on December 21 by people doing their Christmas shopping.
When local authorities were alerted to the situation, they quickly determined that this unusual customer at Coconut Point Mall posed a public safety concern.
The response required the cooperation of at least eight officers from the sheriff's office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to capture the alligator. The Lee County Sheriff's Office shared part of this operation on its social media and local media reported extensively on the incident. In a strange way, it caused more laughter than fear among Floridians.
“There is truly never a dull moment while on patrol in Lee County,” the sheriff’s office said in its Facebook post.
People had a lot of fun in the comments section on these posts.
“He wanted to get in the holiday spirit with everyone!” explains one Internet user. “Wow, he would have caught a lot of elves and probably a Santa or two,” exclaimed another.
To the great relief of many people who wanted to shop in peace without harming the reptile, the animal was relocated to a wildlife reserve 70 km away from the shopping center.