You've heard of K9s, but the Polk County Sheriff's Office is rolling a new unit of animal investigators.
Last month, a suspect tried to drown one of our K-9s. We’ve got a new unit now - try drowning one of these, bad guys. #G8RUnit #G8rDone #AprilFools pic.twitter.com/PCzcMAydA9
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 (@PolkCoSheriff) April 1, 2021
Even though this was just PCSO's creative April Fools joke, Floridians know gators have ended up in some interesting places.
In 2019, an 11-foot alligator in Clearwater broke into a woman's home. It broke bottles of red wine and dented her fridge, but the 77-year-old homeowner later said it was a "fun thing."
Not to mention how often gators find their way into residential pools.
RECOMMENDED: Walking Club 101: Hiking during alligator mating season
Pictures taken in Polk County of massive gators have gone viral more than once, like this picture taken at Circle B Bar Reserve in 2019 that showed a snake trying to escape a gator's jaws.
Or this video, also taken at Circle B, showing a monstrous gator crossing a walking path. Park staff said at the time that the gator is famously known as “Humpback.”
All jokes aside, alligators are fundamental to the state's wetlands but they are dangerous. Now that's it's April, alligator mating season is just about underway. According to FWC, courtship begins in April then mating happens in May or June.
RELATED: Alligator mating season is here — this is what you need to know
During mating season gators are more visible and more active. They're most active between dusk and dawn.
If you are concerned about an alligator, call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. The FWC will dispatch one of its contracted nuisance alligator trappers to resolve the situation.
