No, it wasn’t frozen alligator meat or even the Publix mascot (who is actually a dinosaur). A driver spotted a living-and-breathing alligator hanging out in a Publix parking lot on Sunday.
According to WFTV, Amanda Kossina noticed the large reptile heading toward the parking lot of the grocery store in Orange County, Fla., and took video of it. Publix is a popular grocery store chain in the U.S. Southeast. Most of its more than 1,400 locations are in Florida, but there are also Publix stores in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Kossina was concerned for the safety of others as the gator – described as “huge” – ambled through the Publix lot, and she alerted the store. Then, employees began to warn people leaving the premises.
“Orange County deputies arrived on the scene and successfully relocated the alligator without incident,” WFTV reported. It also said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed its involvement, “stating that they guided the alligator safely back to a nearby water source.”
As of last November, Florida had the highest alligator population in the U.S. at an estimated 1.3 million, according to Treasure Coast News. These reptiles are “important to Florida’s natural areas,” per the Florida Wildlife Commission, which offers tips for run-ins with gators. It is important to never feed alligators and to keep distance from them, said the commission.
This year, Audacy has reported on at least two instances of Floridians saving their dogs from gators.