The Martin County Sheriff's Office recently issued a warning after a "stubborn" alligator was removed from a Jensen Beach, Florida, pool — in what was the second such incident that day.
What's happening?
"The Martin County Sheriff's Office responded to an uninvited pool crasher at a home in Pinecrest Lakes in Jensen Beach," it wrote in a May 31 Facebook post.
Deputy Dawn Ferris and Sgt. Crystal Nash responded to the scene. When they arrived at the home, officers discovered a 7-foot alligator "lounging" in an in-ground pool.
It wasn't even their first gator call that day.
"As unbelievable as it looks, this is the second time today that a gator has been found soaking up the sun in a residential pool in our area," the post continued. Wildlife handler Matt Hines was called in, and the gator was eventually removed from the pool.
Why is this alligator sighting concerning?
"This unusual encounter is an important reminder: it's mating season for alligators," the office wrote.
During mating season, alligators "become much more active and may travel into areas they don't typically frequent — including fully fenced yards like this one," it warned.
The risk of human-alligator encounters isn't new in much of Florida, but rising temperatures and habitat loss are among the reasons such incidents are becoming more common. Jensen Beach resident Jim Voorhees said he's lived in the same house for 37 years but had never seen an alligator in his pool before.
"We're not on the water. We're not adjacent to a lake or anything like that; the nearest lake is probably 300 yards away," Voorhees told WPEC.
Voorhees and authorities were baffled about how the gator got past the property's fencing — but with habitats disappearing and food sources dwindling, wild animals can tend to behave erratically and become aggressive during encounters with humans.
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"Residents and pet owners, please stay alert," the Martin County Sheriff's Office instructed.
"Alligators are wild animals and can be extremely dangerous if provoked," it added, warning residents it's "not safe to attempt to remove a gator unless you are a trained professional."
Florida also has a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program to assist residents with unexpected gators. "You should never handle an alligator, even a small one," the state cautioned.
"If you spot a gator where it doesn't belong, keep your distance and call for help," the sheriff's office advised.
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