Alligator Climbs Fence of Naval Air Station In Jacksonville

Florida is known for, among others, its amusement parks, orange crops and it is the home of the Kennedy Space Center. The “Sunshine State” is also a popular destination for retirees and visitors.

But there is also one reptile that stands along the name of Florida. In fact, the animal coincides with Florida that it named their NCAA football team and even their home stadium, the Steve Spurrier-Florida Field in Ben Hill Griffin is nicknamed “The Swamp.”

Alligators are a common sight in Florida. Wikipedia noted that, in 2012, Florida had around one million American alligators and 1,500 crocodiles in the area. There's no telling when or where you would see one, but yes, they're practically everywhere. But just because they're everything doesn't mean that it's the way Florida welcomes its guests.

Action News Jax reported of the encounter through a video shared by Christina Steward, who they said “stopped and filmed the gator claw its way up a fence” of the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville.

The 12-second video showed that the alligator climed the fence effortlessly before “belly-flopping” on the other side of the fence and went on its way.

Officials of the Naval Air Station said that they have no plans of removing the alligator from the base unless it will pose a threat to the residents.

Another was courtesy of Roger Light, Jr., who even joked about it as akin to Jumanji. His video showed of an alligator coming “out of nowhere” when he stopped at a traffic light in front of WaWa on Gandy Boulevard and Grand Avenue.

The video was posted by Light on his Facebook page.

While Light complained about the rain and the flood that day, he also questioned “why people were out video taping in the pouring rain.” That was when he noticed the alligator coming towards him on his passenger side.

This isn't the first time these reptiles were spotted on human territory. On April 19, officials from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department spotted an alligator measuring 11 feet and weighing 600lbs roaming around a Florida neighborhood.

Officer Ignatius Carroll II told a local newspaper that they thought it was a body at first before realizing that “they were dealing with a giant reptile and one that was pretty much living and breathing.”

Another instance came last July 28 when a homeowner called the police when she found a 7-foot alligator in their swimming pool.

A local trapper was called to capture the reptile. Kerri Kibbe, the owner of the house, said that the trapper “put a noose on it” before the alligator went into its notorious “death roll.”