Feisty Gator Grabbed in Plantation

Police, trapper called out after 8-foot gator creates roadblock

An 8-foot gator who may have been looking for an early breakfast gave Plantation residents a bit of a scare Wednesday morning.

Police and a trapper were called out to the area of Flamingo Road and Sunrise Boulevard around 2 a.m. after neighbors called authorities to report that the bulky reptile was creating a roadblock.

Trapper Paul Bedard Jr. went to work, tiring out the snapping gator before wrestling him into submission. Bedard said the feisty gator wouldn't be destroyed, as many are after being trapped.

"He's a good size for a wrestling gator, he's got a nice little personality, so we'll use him for a year or two for wrestling and then I'll donate him to the alligator farm down in Homestead," Bedard said.

Bedard said if you spot a gator in your neighborhood, don't go near it, and whatever you do, don't feed it. Generally, a gator is considered a nuisance if it is at least four feet in length and poses a threat to people, their pets or property.

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