A Florida family was terrorized by a live alligator on Friday morning when it broke into their house through a kitchen window.
The Clearwater, Florida Police Department got an unsettling call on Friday morning when a family discovered an 11-foot-long alligator loose in their kitchen. The department tweeted photos and a video of the encounter, showing the animal’s angry open jaws.
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“See you later, alligator,” the department tweeted with an alligator emoji. “A scaly 11-foot-long gator broke into a Clearwater home overnight through some low windows in their kitchen. Clearwater Police officers and a trapper responded to the scene to capture and remove the gator. There were no injuries.”
From the pictures, it looks as though the alligator entered through a window that was at floor height. Police officers responded along with an animal trapper, successfully removing the alligator with no injuries.
A video showed the animal thrashing against restraints, trying to break free but breaking many of the family’s possessions in the process. He even shattered some wine bottles, leaving a disturbing trail of red fluid in his wake.
According to a report by The Tampa Bay Times, the alligator was discovered by 77-year-old Mary Wischhusen. She got up to use the bathroom at around 3:30 p.m. when she ran into the alarming guest and alerted the authorities. She locked herself in the bedroom while waiting for them to arrive.
“All I had was a vision of a huge head,” Wischhusen said. “A big head looking at me saying, ‘Hey!’”
We know you’ve been chomping at the bit for more visuals from today’s alligator trespassing in Clearwater🐊 The male alligator was 10 to 11 feet in length. During the apprehension, the alligator knocked over several bottles of wine. The red liquid in the video is wine, not blood. pic.twitter.com/x6ktib6ajl
— Clearwater Police Department (@myclearwaterPD) May 31, 2019
“I don’t know why he wanted my red wine, but he got my red wine,” she noted.
The story soon went viral, thanks in part to the harrowing photos and videos posted by the Clearwater Police. Many users jokingly took the side of the alligator, writing that he “just wanted to chill, drink some wine” and hang out.
“Poor guy, just wanted to get his drink on,” one person joked. “Quiet night in, just wrong house lol.”
Others worried about the gator’s safety, and wondered what could have driven him into a residential home. A few even asked if Wischhusen had any pets to be concerned about, as a gator could easily have gone after a cat or a dog.
“One of the few BNE suspects that IS Not appropriate for a K9,” quipped another user.
The average American alligator is betweeen 10 and 15 feet in length, and typically weighs about 500 pounds. Luckily, the creatures are not known for home invasions like the one Wischhusen experienced, but in Florida it is always a possibility.
