Alligator Squeezes Through Cocoa Beach Fence

Occurred on July 24, 2023 / Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA

Info from Licensor: "I was very surprised to find a 6-foot plus alligator in my backyard when I went to rake some leaves. She was behind what I thought was a pile of leaves, and I did not notice her until I was nearly on top of her! I had no idea how she got into my yard, as I always keep my gate to the golf course behind my house closed. Obviously, I wanted her gone, but she was far too large to physically remove, so I opened the gate to encourage her to return to the golf course, and she did. I subsequently closed the gate, thinking that was it. A few days later I went to do the same leaf raking chore, and she was in the yard again, on top of what I had previously believed to be a pile of leaves, VERY aggressively defending what I ultimately came to learn was her nest! I was dumbfounded as to how she got into my fully fenced rear yard. I opened the gate and allowed her out again. The following week, I was in the backyard, near what I had come to learn was her nest, and I saw her bee-lining to my fence from the pond, and I went to grab my camera because I wanted/needed to find out how she was getting in! The video pretty much tells the rest. The vertical slats on the fence are spaced at 4 inches, quite a tight squeeze for a 6 1/2-foot alligator!

I posted the video on my Facebook page, and folks loved it. Still, I had this troubling issue of a 6 1/2 foot gator who has an amazingly strong instinct to protect her eggs, IN my backyard. I have a daughter and an 11-month-old granddaughter Paisley, who takes infant survival swim lessons in my pool, and a son who brings his dog to swim and roam the yard, and I couldn't allow either to take place with a large alligator IN my yard! I called the Florida Wildlife Commission's (FWC) Alligator hotline to see what could be done. I had previously named her Matilda, and have no idea why, it just came to me. The FWC Alligator Hotline folks told me that they would send a licensed trapper to remove her and the eggs (after dealing with some red tape permitting issues). The trapper came and could not catch her initially, as apparently with all of the activity (neighbors, 2 news video interviews, and such), she had gotten spooked. He actually had a live 5' gator in the bed of his truck, and was going to catch what he described as a 9-footer, a block away! This actually ended up being a blessing for Matilda.

I subsequently found out that ALL so-called 'nuisance' alligators, ones who have come on private residential property or have otherwise become threatening, will be removed by the agency. However, they have a policy that states that ALL nuisance alligators recovered by FWC licensed trappers over 4' must be destroyed, along with the eggs. Apparently, there is no area in Central Florida that is not overpopulated with alligators. I had co-existed with this gator BEHIND my fence for years without incident, and in fact, she had built a nest and laid eggs last year on the water's edge of the golf course pond behind my rear yard fence. However, an early hurricane's rain raised the water level over the nest, and the eggs did not hatch or mature. I certainly had no ill will for Matilda, but I could not have her and 20-40 (39 eggs actually) baby gators in my backyard! Unfortunately, I had no choice in the matter and unhappily resigned myself to the fact that she and the eggs would have to be destroyed.

I had done 2 TV news interviews and videos, and the public response was tremendous. I ultimately got a call from an FWC enforcement officer who told me that because I had named her, and due to all of the news and social media coverage, they had received 'hundreds' of phone calls asking that she not be destroyed and be relocated with her eggs! The officer told me he got a call from his main office in Tallahassee, instructing him to see to it that they humanely catch the gator, carefully collect the eggs, all 39 of them, and relocate them in an appropriate undisclosed location. Subsequently, The FWC trappers came out and caught her, and I got to tape up her mouth and eyes, once caught, for the relocation trip. I was asked not to video or even be present during the capture, as she was wary and that could make the capture difficult and even less 'comfortable' for her. She and the eggs were humanely collected, eggs marked and numbered, and taken away. I have a few snapshots of her and the eggs in the truck ready for transport, and other various videos prior to the final capture.

So, Me and literally thousands of interested social media observers were very pleased to learn that Matilda and her future babies were humanely relocated to what is certainly a better place deep in some Florida swamp!"