Bianca Fourie of Parrish, Florida was settling in for the night when she received an odd alert from her camera: an alligator was hitting her fence.<\/p>\n
An alligator seemed to have made its way to her backyard, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. Fourie estimated that the animal was about 4 to 5 feet long.<\/p>\n
But after cops came to retrieve the alligator, the homeowner learned that the alligator was a whopping 8 feet long \u2014 double the length she predicted.<\/p>\n
In footage released by authorities, the alligator is seen lying down near the fence while officers discuss how to safely remove it. They would eventually call a trapper to come retrieve it.<\/p>\n
“After attempting to relocate the ‘4-5 foot’ gator to a pond across the street, they decided a trapper might be better suited to handle the annoyed reptile,” a Facebook post<\/a> from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reads. “After securing the alligator, it was measured at 8 feet, 4 inches and was relocated.”<\/p>\n Statewide Alligators<\/p>\n \u00a0In many states, spotting an alligator in public, much less one’s backyard, would be a shock.<\/p>\n But in Florida, running into alligators at the lake or even at ponds behind local supermarkets is to be expected.<\/p>\n A-Z Animals<\/a> reports that Florida has the second-highest alligator presence nationwide. In total, there are about 1.3 million alligators across the state.<\/p>\n Additionally, Gainesville, the city with the highest gator population across America, is in Florida.<\/p>\n Why Alligators Love Florida<\/p>\n Florida likely sees lots of alligators due to its extensive swamplands and sunny skies year-round.<\/p>\n In the summer, even more seem to reveal themselves as the reptiles love the heat.<\/p>\n Of course, most backyards don’t have swamps or ponds for alligators to enjoy, but that hasn’t stopped the creatures from giving many unsuspecting families quite a shock.<\/p>\n \u00a0“Any standing body of water in Florida could house a gator, making swamps, rivers, lakes, and drainage pools all potentially dangerous,” an A-Z Animals report warns.<\/p>\n Backyard Alligators\u00a0<\/p>\n Only a month ago, a Nokomis resident called police after seeing<\/a> an alligator taking a swim in their pool.<\/p>\n The large animal was a whopping 9 feet, 4 inches long. Due to its size, the Venice Police Department had to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program to send a trapper.<\/p>\n