Officers with the Tampa Police Department are reminding residents to obey the city’s “slightly humorous” alligator warning signs, after officers were called in to removed a “very large, and very angry” alligator from a popular park this afternoon.
At around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 29, the Tampa Police Department posted a photo to their official Instagram showing a giant gator sitting next to a “Warning Alligators” sign at Rowlett Park, which is located on the Hillsborough River in between Sulphur Springs and Temple Terrace.
“Folks, we cannot stress enough that warning signs are there for a reason” said TPD in the post. “Take this sign in Rowlett Park for example. It has a slightly humorous cartoon of an alligator on it, but they are no laughing matter!”
“Just this afternoon a very large, and very angry alligator came for a visit right by the sign,” continued TPD.
Tampa Police say a trapper was called to assist with the removal and the animal was taken into “custody,” which typically means a deep fryer and a bootery, since this particular gator probably falls under the FWC’s definition of a “nuisance gator.”
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