![\"Apopka](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Gator-capture-04.03.26--1024x536.jpg\")
Apopka police and a licensed trapper work together to capture what Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission call a ‘nuisance alligator.’\u00a0<\/p>\nApopka police and a licensed trapper work together to capture what Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission call a ‘nuisance alligator.’\u00a0<\/p>\n
Courtesy of Apopka Police DepartmentPD\/Facebook<\/p>\n
Apopka\u00a0police<\/a>, working alongside a licensed wildlife trapper, captured and\u00a0relocated\u00a0a large alligator earlier this week after it was reported near a roadway.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officers responded Monday to a call about an alligator spotted along Yothers Road, between U.S. Highway 441 and the Chandler Estates subdivision. According to Sgt. Jennifer Rudich of the Apopka Police Department, a caller reported seeing the alligator near the roadway.\u00a0<\/p>\n Police arrived at the scene and then contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which dispatched a licensed nuisance alligator trapper. The trapper captured the animal and\u00a0relocated\u00a0it to a safer location, authorities said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A\u00a0\u201cnuisance alligator\u201d\u00a0is\u00a0a term used by FWC for\u00a0captures\u00a0that are at least\u00a04 feet in length\u00a0and\u202fmay pose a threat to people,\u00a0pets\u00a0or property. Through its Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, FWC authorizes contracted trappers to remove such alligators from populated or high-traffic areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n In a public safety message shared on its Facebook page, the Apopka Police Department urged residents to \u201cStay\u00a0Alert. Keep Your Distance. Stay Safe.\u201d\u00a0While \u201csightings can be alarming,\u201d residents are\u00a0advised to\u00a0keep\u00a0a safe distance from alligators and never\u00a0attempt\u00a0to approach or feed them,\u00a0because\u00a0doing so can cause the animals to lose their natural fear of humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Residents are also encouraged to keep pets on a leash and away from the water\u2019s edge and to closely supervise children near bodies of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n Florida has about 1.3 million alligators\u00a0living in\u00a0all 67 counties, which\u00a0inhabit\u00a0all the state\u2019s wild areas that can support them,\u00a0according to the FWC website<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFlorida has a healthy and stable alligator population,\u201d the website\u00a0stated, later adding that\u00a0\u201cthe removal of nuisance alligators does not have a significant impact on our state\u2019s alligator population.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Relocated alligators often try to return, creating risks along the way and making\u00a0recapture\u00a0harder,\u00a0according to the FWC website.\u00a0Moving them to remote areas\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0ideal either, as those habitats already have\u00a0established\u00a0populations, and introducing a new alligator can trigger fights that may injure or kill either the newcomer or resident animals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Anyone who\u00a0encounters\u00a0a nuisance alligator is\u00a0advised not to handle\u00a0it and instead contact the FWC Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teresa Sargeant has been with The Apopka Chief for over 10 years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/6.png\")
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