A Florida homeowner had quite a scare thinking her house was being robbed only to find that alligators violently fighting with each other.
The incident took place at a home in Ave Maria near Naples in Collier County.
The homeowner, Kayla Burress, said she looked outside and saw the two animals slamming into her screen enclosure, tearing through it and leaving behind twisted metal and shredded mesh.
Wildlife experts said this kind of behavior isn’t completely unheard of, especially during mating season which is happening right now.
“It was scary, and I just warned everybody else in the neighborhood, like, watch your kids. Watch the dogs,” Burress said. “Because it was, it was fast and they were powerful.”
Experts advise everyone to stay a safe distance away from waterways.
“There’s gators that are showing up in places they wouldn’t normally for a couple of reasons,” Naturalist and Environmentalist Educator Ranger Rob Howell. said. “One, big males are chasing out younger males in competition. Younger males are looking for new habitats. Males are looking for new habitats and territories and sometimes the females are caught in the crosshair. They get scared off and go to new areas.”
Alligator mating season begins in Florida
May marks the beginning of alligator mating season in Florida, and that means that the reptiles are way more active and are also more likely to wander into residential areas, wildlife officials say.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), courtship behaviors in alligators start in early April, and mating occurs in May or June.
During that time, wildlife officials say male alligators will become more and more territorial, and may displace smaller ones.
That then could lead to more alligator sightings in areas that aren’t common, like swimming pools.
If you encounter an alligator that poses a threat to people, pets, or property, contact the FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 1-866-FWC-GATOR (392-4286).
