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Manatee County Sheriff\u2019s Office deputies encountered a little more alligator than they bargained for while trying to remove the reptile from a backyard.<\/p>\n
The deputies initially estimated the alligator was 4 to 5 feet long, according to body camera video shared by the Manatee County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
That estimate would prove to be a little off.<\/p>\n
Deputies had responded to a report of an alligator in a backyard and were trying to encourage the reptile toward a nearby pond, the sheriff\u2019s office said in a social media post.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo on,\u201d a deputy can be heard telling the alligator in the video.<\/p>\n
Instead, the alligator hissed, turned toward the deputy and sent him scrambling backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay clear of it,\u201d a deputy said.<\/p>\n
After another noise from the alligator, the deputies reconsidered their approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, this is a job for a trapper,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n
Deputies called a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to the home, who secured the alligator with a catch pole before dragging it from the backyard, video shows.<\/p>\n
With the alligator secured, the trapper pulled out a tape measure and settled the question of its size.<\/p>\n
\u201c8-foot, 4,\u201d the trapper announced.<\/p>\n
The deputies immediately recognized just how much they had underestimated their backyard visitor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were way off,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n
The sheriff\u2019s office said the 8-foot, 4-inch alligator was relocated.<\/p>\n