VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida woman heard a rattling sound on her front door Sunday afternoon and thought someone was trying to get into her home, but it turned out to be a giant alligator.
“So I'm sitting on the couch. It's late afternoon. I'm just watching TV and I hear the front door and the screen door rattle,” she recalled. “And I thought maybe someone who doesn't live here is trying to get in because they think they're probably in the wrong house, because that happens a lot,” Mary Hollenback told Nexstar's WFLA. Told.
Hollenbach, who lives in the Grand Palm community in Venice, said her door had a magnetic mechanism that the 8-foot alligator was able to push open.
“He tried to push it through and the magnetic clasp broke. The door opened and he just walked in,” she said.
Hollenback said all she could think when she saw the large alligator lounging on the floor was, “Oh my god, I have an alligator in my house.”
Hollenback said she thought about calling 911, but had a little problem. Her cell phone was sitting on the counter just inches away from the large reptile.
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Photo credit: Mary Hollenback -
Photo credit: Mary Hollenback -
Photo credit: Mary Hollenback -
Photo credit: Mary Hollenback
“All I could think about was calling 911, but the phone was sitting on the edge of the counter. So I walked a little closer to him, picked up the phone, and knew I had to go out on the balcony and call 911. there was.”
Fortunately, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office quickly responded to Hollenbach's call.
“One deputy was very funny and said that when he saw the report, he didn't believe me until he went into the house and saw the alligator,” she said.
Two Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission members and three employees were called to help remove the alligator from Hollenback's home. The length of the alligator was 7 feet 11 inches.
Hollenback said while she was reliving the alligator's removal, she was surprised to see photos of it spreading like wildfire on social media.
“It was upsetting for a while, but it seemed like all the neighbors were coming out and talking about it, and it's been a really good story ever since. I mean, this story just keeps growing and growing. It’s my 15 minutes of fame,” she joked.
Hollenback said the Venice neighborhood has about 50 ponds, so seeing alligators is not uncommon, and he doesn't know where the reptile ended up.
Rust season has begun in the Sunshine State, and there will likely be more alligator sightings in the coming months. The breeding season begins in April and lasts until June, so you're more likely to encounter giant reptiles this month.
When in heat, males tend to become more aggressive. Although alligator attacks are rare, residents should be cautious near ponds and waterways, especially when walking pets.
