Huge alligator strapped to back of car on motorway is ‘most Florida thing ever’

Huge alligator strapped to back of car on motorway is ‘most Florida thing ever’



A giant alligator strapped to the back of a car on a motorway has been called the most Florida picture ever taken.

A woman travelling along Interstate 95 in The Sunshine State was stunned to see a massive reptile hoisted by rope behind a vehicle, just one foot off the tarmac.

Karen Kress from Tampa, could not resist capturing the jaw-dropping image on camera and the alligator has since been estimated to be an impressive 11ft long.

The gator’s tail was tied up so it wasn’t left flailing in front of passing cars and its jaws were muzzled during its bizarre journey through Brevard County on Saturday (September 3).

Karen told The Miami Herald: “My reaction to seeing it was definitely disbelief. I moved here 30 years ago because of nature and never tire of seeing an alligator. However, I never expected it to spot one on the interstate.”

She shared a photo of the scene on Facebook, showing the large alligator was almost double the width of the vehicle.

That meant the body and tail had to be bent double just to keep it from sticking out in traffic.

The paper says the identity of those inside is still unknown but is likely they were part of a gator hunt, seeing as it’s alligator hunting season in Florida until November 1.

Alligators can average 10 feet in Florida, the paper reveals, making them difficult to squeeze in any vehicle.

They said they also tend to smell like swamps, which is probably another reason the driver didn’t want it inside.

As a result, they said, transporting a lawfully harvested alligator on the back of a vehicle is legal in Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Karen posted the photo with a tongue-in-cheek invitation: “I’m accepting suggested captions”, with thousands since replying.

Karen says she was able to drive close enough to take a good look at the alligator and reports it was “totally real”.

She said: “Despite me being a vegetarian, I don’t have a problem if this was a permitted legal hunt.”

This article by Chris MurphyCharles Wade-Palmer was first published by The Daily Star on 8 September 2022. Lead Image: An alligator was spotted tied to the back of a Chevrolet 4×4.


What you can do

Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.


payment

Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.

Dive in!

Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters

We promise we’ll never spam! Read our Privacy Policy for more info

Supertrooper

Founder and Executive Editor

Share this post with your friends




Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

4 Comments