VERO BEACH PRESS-JOURNAL (Florida) 04 March 04 Wandering gator trapped at complex (Adam L. Neal)
Indian River County: Vero Beach resident Tony Borecki thought he was seeing things when a 9-foot-long alligator came strutting across a parking lot near his Vista Royale home.
"I came out of my condo because it was just wandering around the yard and in the parking lot," said Borecki, 65, with a chuckle. "I called 911 and followed him; just tried to get people out of the way."
Taking its time going from one water hazard to another on Vista Royale's semi-private golf course, the male alligator attracted a small crowd while casually walking across yards, two parking lots and Pine Arbor Lane about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"This is very unusual and kind of rare," said Dick Vandale , who saw the alligator with his neighbor, Borecki. "We have seen (alligators) around the golf course, but they don't usually walk around from one waterway to another."
Other neighbors claimed they have seen at least two other alligators in nearby waterways.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contracted Carl Davison, of Fort Pierce, to capture the alligator because it was a safety hazard to the public. His pay is keeping the alligator.
Davison and his crew secured the reptile about 45 minutes after the 911 call was made. After several attempts to snag it out of the water with a large hook and a fishing pole, they hooked it and brought it to shore. Once they had control of it, the four-man crew taped the alligator's mouth shut and tied up its arms and legs.
"They are so overpopulated right now, we are starting to see inbreeding," Davison said about why he is allowed to keep his catch. "This one is big enough to take a dog of any size or a child."
Although seeing an alligator is not uncommon in South Florida, Davison said more sightings could happen because the prime mating season months are coming up. The alligators become more aggressive and seek a partner, he said.
"Mating season usually isn't until April or May," he said. "But lately I've been seeing a lot of alligators in pairs when responding to calls."
Wandering gator trapped at complex