VENICE, Fla. – An alligator broke through a screened-in porch to go for a swim in a pool at a Florida home on Memorial Day, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.
The family was about to dive in when they noticed the seven or eight foot female alligator lurking in the water. Deputy Lori Clark arrived to the Venice home and called Florida Fish and Wildlife to remove and relocate the reptile to a more "appropriate" environment. She filmed as the rescue took place.
Video shows the gator spinning, splashing and struggling as a trapper pulls it out of the water and leads it off the porch.
Hundreds of people commented on the sheriff's office video, empathizing with the animal as it looked to beat the Memorial Day heat.
"Hey this is Florida and man has taken over the animals territory. The gator just wanted to go for a swim and cool off," one commenter wrote.
No one was hurt, but the sheriff's office did use the incident as a reminder to "look before you leap."
Mating season, which begins in early April and spans through June, is when alligators tend to be most active as they search for partners. Drought conditions across the state are also prompting reptiles to move closer to homes in search of water.
Nuisance gators can be reported for removal through the FWC hotline at 1-866-FWC-GATOR.