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Florida Police Stop 12-Foot Alligator From Crossing Interstate

Why did the alligator cross Interstate 75? Apparently to get stopped by the police. Luckily, they let the animal off with a warning.

Even though Florida residents likely encounter or witness gators often, that doesn’t mean the animals don’t surprise them sometimes. Apparently, a gator found a way to make it to an interstate.

Earlier today, local police officers responded to the scene. However, they had to stop the alligator from walking into traffic and becoming a scaly pancake.

FHP SWFL shared the news on their Twitter. The caption read: “Travel advisory: Troopers are trying to keep this 12 foot from the Interstate 75 travel lanes @ mile marker 78 in Collier County on Alley! Please drive cautiously!”

As a Georgia Peach, I couldn’t imagine what I’d do if I encountered this creature even close to the highway. Here, we only really see alligators in museums or aquariums.

According to the highway patrol, troopers attempted to keep the gator from entering Interstate 75’s travel lanes. The post specifies that others witnessed the gator in Collier County near mile marker 78.

Unsurprisingly, this particular stretch of road is called “alligator alley.”

Even though there are protective fences along the highway, many commenters mentioned that larger alligators are capable of climbing up and over these fences.

Thankfully, the gator didn’t cause any serious incidents, although traffic stayed backed up for a while.

Alligators Get Teeth Brushed, Baths Following New Orleans-area Diesel Spill

Wildlife rehabilitation centers decontaminate dozens of alligators, giving them baths, and brushing their teeth. This occurred after a pipeline ruptured and dumped 300,000 gallons of diesel fuel into a New Orleans area wetland.

On December 27th, a ruptured pipeline broke down. Afterward, diesel poured into the area outside of the New Orleans suburb of Chalmette.

Since the incident, authorities rescued seventy-eight alligators. They’ve cleaned and released thirty-three of the reptiles into a national wildlife refuge in New Orleans. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, authorities also moved the creatures close to ten miles from the spill site in St. Bernard Parish.

According to Laura Carver, an oil spill coordinator, the impact of the diesel on wildlife is high compared to most Louisiana spills.

Carver also revealed they used a hard piece of wood to clean the alligators teeth, “almost like a really old-fashioned mop handle.” Human toothbrushes use the object to hold the gator’s jaw open while they brush their teeth. After the animal’s bath, their teeth get brushed.

Because pretty much all of the spill floated into two man-made ponds, contractors for Collins Pipeline Company of Collins in Mississippi worked to handle the contamination.