A Florida sheriff’s deputy has gained notoriety because of his comical reaction during a close alligator encounter at a neighborhood pool.
“When working as a Deputy Sheriff for the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office there is never a dull moment!” the agency exclaimed Tuesday on Facebook. “Just ask Deputy Robert Santiago who earlier today responded to a call where an 8-foot alligator decided to try out the neighbor’s swimming pool!”
Santiago is standing next to Scott Swartley, a trapper contracted by the Sheriff’s Office to handle the tricky aspects of removing the angry reptile.
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“I would love to know exactly what Deputy Santiago was thinking but I’m pretty sure it was…”Oh hell no I didn’t sign up for this!” the Sheriff’s Office continued.
More than 500 people responded to a request for captions. A sampling:
–“That’s what they call a rough day at work! We don’t appreciate our law enforcement officers enough. They never know what they’re going to face.”
–“They never showed me this in the academy.”
–“Bad gator, bad gator……whatcha gonna do? Brevard County Sheriffs are coming for you!”
–“I’m going to need to go home and change my uniform!”
–“If I stand perfectly still, he will think I’m a tree and leave me alone.”
–“He looks like he saw a box of Krispy Creme doughnuts on the guy’s patio table.”
Florida is home to 1.3 million alligators, which can be found in all 67 counties. Like many critters, they increase activity during spring.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the longest alligator recorded in Florida was a male from Lake Washington in Brevard County, measuring 14 feet, 3-1/2 inches.
The heaviest was a 1,043-pound male captured at Orange Lake in Alachua County.