MacDill personnel took a snapshot of the alligator and posted it to the base’s Facebook page with the caption: “Your friendly, #TeamMacDill gator [was] preparing for takeoff.”
The large and inconveniently placed predator was then corralled into the bucket of a front-end loader and transported to a body of water on the edge of the base where alligator sightings have been reported, according to Air Force Times. MacDill spokesman 2nd Lt. Brandon Hanner told the Times neither the alligator, personnel or equipment were harmed during the relocation process. There are a number of small bodies of water near the base.
Incidents of alligators on business or private property are often reported in Florida, particularly during the summer mating season. While the personnel at MacDill were able to safely relocate the animal, civilians should use extreme caution when they come into contact with an alligator.
SNAP, the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, reported that only 8,139 of the 14,739 complaints of nuisance alligators in the state of Florida resulted in the proper removal of the alligators in 2018. For this reason, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has put out a call for alligator trappers to close the gap between incident reports and removals in Pinellas County.
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This article appears in May 16-23, 2019.