A 10-foot crocodile was wrangled out of a Florida pool after homeowners came home to find the enormous reptile making itself at home in their backyard.
A family in the Florida Keys got quite a surprise when they returned home late one evening to find a 10-foot crocodile taking a dip in their backyard swimming pool, WSVN reported. To help with their unwanted visitor, the family called in Todd Hardwick with Pesky Critters Wildlife Control.
“It was just enjoying a soak in the pool when we got there,” Hardwick told the outlet.
Though homeowners were undoubtedly relieved by Hardwick’s arrival, the same could not be said of the crocodile who put up quite the fight as Hardwick’s team attempted to extract the reptile from the pool, video footage of the capture reveals.
Video shows the massive crocodile spinning and thrashing in the pool as Hardwick and his team attempted to pull the creature out, soaking the deck with water, creating slippery conditions for the crew.
Wildlife trappers were dispatched to remove a “massive” crocodile from a swimming pool in Plantation Key, Florida. pic.twitter.com/49vmlZZUmP
— CNN (@CNN) June 13, 2023
“We started the capture, crocodile rolled quite a bit, threw a lot of water out onto the patio deck,” Hardwick told the outlet. “It made it quite slippery and a little bit dangerous.”
In the end, the team did manage to wrangle the crocodile out of the pool and released it back into a saltwater habitat.
Though not as common as alligators in Florida, there are just under 2,000 adult crocodiles known to be in the state. Both alligators and crocodiles are especially active during their mating season which runs from April through June, typically leading to more interactions with humans, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Australian Snorkeler Almost Loses Head In Crocodile Attack)
Though Hardwick is in the business of removing animals like alligators and crocodiles, he told the outlet he’s been particularly busy this year.“ I’ve been in this for a very long time, and this is probably one of the busiest stretches I remember for large animals,” he stated.
Hardwick surmised the crocodile had made its way up a boat ramp from a canal in a neighboring yard and made its way into the homeowners’ yard via a gap in fencing – an oversight the homeowners plan on fixing to keep further crocodiles and alligators away, the outlet stated.