Beachgoers watched on in terror as a giant 12-foot alligator crawled through the surf and walked along the shore. The massive reptile was spotted waking along Delray Beach, Florida.
Officers from a local animal conservation charity attended the scene after a number of people called them about the beast. The creature was safely captured and transported to a local farm, the Mirror reports.
Although alligators can survive in salt water for a short period time, the species thrives in freshwater. Witness T.J. Tamaccio said: "It was crazy. I just rolled up to the beach doing my routine, and I saw the commotion. I thought it would be a little shark or something.
"I was trying to think where it came from. It must have been far out there but probably came from Boynton Inlet and got lost had to get to land and beach itself."
Florida, which is riddled with fresh water lakes and wetlands, is the perfect environment for alligators to thrive. When Hurricane Ian tore through the area, alligators were seen roaming the waterlogged streets.
One of the huge reptiles appeared during an NBC News report when reporter Jesse Kirsch spotted the animal as he reported on the storm in Orlando on Friday. He told viewers: "Whenever we cover floods, we are always trying to stress that you do not want to go into the waters.
"This is about as good a reason why as you should not go in the water. And I do not know if that is the same alligator that had been hanging out in the front yard right near us."
The alligator was seen in a neighbourhood which is near water. Residents had been spotted walking the flooded street just moments before the reptile was seen.
According to the Everglades National Park, the largest alligator ever recorded measured 17 feet, 5 inches. Despite their fearsome reputation, alligators attacks are rare in Florida.
Between 1948 and 2021 there were 442 unprovoked alligator bites in the state, averaging six a year. Of those bites, 26 were fatal, which means there was one fatal injury nearly every three years in the state.
In August this year a pensioner was tragically killed and "held hostage" in an apparent deadly alligator attack.
The victim, named as 88-year-old Nancy A. Becker, was reportedly killed after she found herself in a pond at the gated community she was living in at the time in Sun City, South Carolina, US.
Reports from local media say she had slipped into the pond while gardening, where she was then pounced upon by the alligator. An autopsy is now being carried out at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston to determine the cause of death.
Beaufort County sheriff’s spokeswoman Major Angela Viens said: "The alligator was basically holding her hostage, I guess — I don't know what the appropriate term would be. It was guarding her and did not want people close by."
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