On March 28th, a woman living near Venice caught an alligator in her kitchen. Mary Hollenback said she heard a rattling noise on the front screen door of her home in the Grand Palm community. After some time, she discovers an unexpected visitor inside. “I thought someone was trying to get into the wrong house. I went to see what was going on and found out there was an alligator in there!” Hollenback said he heard the door rattle. He said it took him 10 or 15 seconds to see the crocodile completely inside. “He moved forward a few feet and then stopped. Then he moved forward a few more feet and stopped. And finally he got stuck between the island and the stove. He couldn't move anymore. There wasn't. So he was stuck,” Hollenback said. That's when her instincts kicked in. “I was a little nervous. I grabbed my cell phone from the edge of the island, went out to the balcony and called 911,” Hollenbach said. Sarasota County deputies and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials came to the rescue. The five-person team loaded the 8-foot-long alligator into a truck. Hollenbach said her screen was magnetic and the alligator pushed against it before holding it open. “It broke and I lost the connection,” Hollenbach said. She said she believes the alligator came from the pond across from her home, but she doesn't know what caused it to come in. “I’ve seen alligators,” she said. The crocodile is long gone, but the photo is not. They brought national attention to Hollenback, and the photo went viral. She posted it on her Facebook and I jumped on it and sent it to other people,” Hollenback said. “I never imagined it. I mean, I never thought essentially there would be a viral infection.” For Hollenback, who just moved to Florida from Indiana three years ago, this is a special occasion. You are welcome. She had to throw out the rug and there was a small scratch on the bottom of her cabinet, but she says she learned how to coexist with the animals in her new backyard. “This guy was just an alligator. He's just doing what nature tells him to do, so you can't blame him,” Hollenback said. “Life in Florida just got a lot more interesting!” NBC2 said she reached out to the FWC to find out where the alligator would be relocated. Stay tuned to NBC2 for the latest information.
On March 28, a woman living near Venice caught an alligator in her kitchen.
Mary Hollenbach said she heard a rattling noise on the front screen door of her home in the Grand Palm community. After some time, she discovers an unexpected visitor inside.
“I thought maybe someone was trying to get into the wrong house. I went to see what was going on and found out there was an alligator in there!” Hollenback said.
Hollenback said it took 10 to 15 seconds from when he heard the door rattle until he saw the alligator fully inside.
“He moved forward a few feet and then stopped. Then he moved forward a few more feet and stopped. And finally he got stuck between the island and the stove. He couldn't move anymore. There wasn't. So he was stuck,” Hollenback said.
That's when her instincts kicked in.
“I got a little nervous. I grabbed my cell phone from the edge of the island, went out to the balcony and called 911,” Hollenbach said.
Sarasota County deputies and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials rushed to the rescue. The five-person team loaded the 8-foot-long alligator into a truck.
Hollenback said her screen is magnetic, so the alligator held it up and pushed it before it opened.
“He was pushing on the bottom and pushing so hard that it broke and disconnected,” Hollenback said.
She said she believes the alligator came from a pond across the street from her home, but she doesn't know what brought it there.
“I've had alligators in the pond and I've seen alligators,” she said.
The crocodile has been gone for a long time, but no photos remain. They brought national attention to Hollenback, and the photo went viral.
“My neighbor started it. She posted it on Facebook and I jumped on it and sent it to other people,” Hollenback said. “I never imagined it would become viral in nature.”
It's a special welcome for Hollenback, who just moved to Florida from Indiana three years ago. Although he was forced to throw away his rug and suffered a small scratch on the bottom of his cabinet, he says he learned how to coexist with the animals in his new backyard.
“This guy was just an alligator. He's just doing what nature tells him to do, so you can't blame him,” Hollenback said. “It makes living in Florida so much more interesting!”
NBC2 reached out to the FWC to determine where the alligator should be relocated.
Stay tuned to NBC2 for the latest information.
