Alligators are practically like second neighbors throughout much of Florida.
But one Florida-area gator ended up getting trapped in a neighborhood storm drain in Cape Coral, requiring the fire department to rescue the massive beast — and video of the massive alligator quickly went viral.
A passerby first called for help when a 10-foot long alligator popped its head through a storm drain in Lee County.
The Cape Coral Fire Department worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to aid in the rescue.
But the gator was so big they had to use a truck to lift the lid off the storm drain, and the FWC trapper was then able to shimmy the 10-foot, 6-inch alligator onto his truck.
The gator, estimated to be about 27 to 29 years old, was then transported to an alligator farm to “live out his life” and possibly be introduced to a breeding program, according to a Facebook post by the fire department.
“As a firefighter, you are never going to know what you are going to encounter, but we are honored to help our Cape Coral community in anyway we can,” the CCFD wrote.
You watch the daring rescue here.