Gator Walks Up to Woman's Front Door

Occurred on February 7, 2019 / Tampa, Florida, USA

Info from Licensor: "This event happened on February 7, 2019. I lived in a large subdivision in Tampa Florida called Tampa Palms, which has numerous man-made ponds. It was early in the mating season for alligators, so it is not uncommon to occasionally see them move from pond to pond looking for a mate. I was just getting ready to go out to get the mail, and as I was about to open the door, I could see out the side light a jogger run by and also that an alligator was turning the corner of the sidewalk heading straight to the front door. Hate to think if I had come out of the house 20 seconds earlier! This was the closest I had ever been to an alligator, and I could see his eye moving as he was looking at me. My heart was pounding! A neighbor who saw this happening called the police, and they called Wildlife to come to relocate the gator. Before the wildlife trapper arrived, the alligator took his time and wandered around to the back of the house and back into the pond. The trapper came and set up bait to catch the alligator to relocate him, but the alligator never took the bait. I like to think that he peacefully moved onto another pond."