That’s not supposed to be there!
Florida might be the home to a bunch of gators, but you’re more likely to find them in the swamp than washing up in the surf.
Beachgoers at Jacksonville Beach watched the alligator get pulled in on Saturday by Jacksonville Beach Ocean Rescue.
Lifeguard Nathan Bowcock first saw the gator after beachgoers reported an unidentified marine life in the water and grabbed it in an attempt to get it out of the ocean.
“I didn’t want him to take my fingers off, so I was being pretty cautious,” he said. “They don’t like salt water. It was looking pretty lethargic. I grabbed him the first time and he shook a little bit. So we waited for animal control and went back out there with a net.”
This is the first gator Bowcock has ever seen at the beach and gators aren’t exactly known to like splashing around in salt water, so it’s a very rare sight.
“It kind of scared me and makes me not want to go swimming that much,” said beachgoer Adrielle Plesancia.
According to Capt. Max Ervanian, who’s with Ocean Rescue, the 3-foot gator was found in the water by 5th Avenue South.
He said Ocean Rescue contacted both the Jacksonville Beach Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for help in the matter.
FWC took possession of the alligator once they arrived on the scene.
