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Only in Florida! Woman's shocking find lurking in backyard pool

<p dir="ltr">Florida woman Lynn Tosi was not the only one who wanted to stay cool during the summer.</p> <p dir="ltr">Tosi came home to an unwanted guest: a 3.5 m alligator that had busted through her screened-in porch and was vibing in her pool.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just kind of circled around, not knowing what I was going to do next. I sure wasn’t going outside,” Tossi said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The crook-a-dile waddled through a nearby forest to try and find water, and struck gold when he found Tossi’s pool.</p> <p dir="ltr">Without a care in the world, the insti-gator left a large hole in Tosi’s screened-in porch.</p> <p dir="ltr">“He busted right through there, kind of like the Kool-Aid man, you know,” Tosi shared.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the weather gets warmer, Alligators are becoming increasingly active, and Tosi, who has learned from this wild encounter, encouraged all homeowners to double-check their pools and lakes before diving in.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The professional coming to take him out was actually pacing and got on the phone and was really surprised by what they were up against,” Tosi recalled.</p> <p dir="ltr">In another image, the Alligator can be seen restrained, and they were lucky it didn’t snap.</p> <p dir="ltr">This encounter is one of three reported in Valusia County over the last five days.</p> <p dir="ltr">Trappers have reminded residents that the alligators are most active at dusk and dawn.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Lynn Tosi, NBC, CNN</em></p>

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Disney’s deadly fight against bizarre attraction

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Five years on since the death of two-year-old boy Lane Thomas Graves, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa are still fighting to keep his killer at bay. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lane died after playing with other children at the resort’s man-made Seven Seas Lagoon on the night of June 15, 2016.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842031/disney-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b6fe3535458345299bf845d3d6e02234" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The boy was tragically grabbed by an alligator who dragged him into the water, while he attempted to fill his bucket to make sandcastles. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lane’s father Matt Graves fought the alligator by attempting to pry its jaws open, but was left with major injuries. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Police divers sadly discovered Lane’s body submerged in the murky lagoon just a day later.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Disney is taking major strides to try and keep its Florida properties safe from alligators, but the exploding population of the deadly critters are making it as difficult as ever. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reports say 250 alligators have been at Disney World since June 2016c however the massive reptile population is proving a hard challenge to control. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As an attempt to encourage Florida’s famous gator trappers, each one has been offered $US30 ($A40) for each alligator they trap.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842032/disney-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7d353879170a4e2f96544b9ed540ba8e" /></span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trappers are also allowed to keep any profits from the leather or meat sold.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, activists are fighting against Disney who say the alligators are rarely, if not ever, rehomed. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tammy Sapp, a spokeswoman for the wildlife commission, said the majority of the 250 alligators caught had been euthanised.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some of the reptiles are sent to farms, exhibits or zoos while those under 1.2m are relocated to other parts of the state.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The FWC takes public safety seriously and uses Targeted Harvest Area (THA) permits as part of a comprehensive effort to achieve alligator management goals,” Ms Sapp told the Orlando Sentinel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“THA permits allow a managing authority to work directly with a designated FWC contracted nuisance alligator trapper, making the process for removing nuisance alligators more proactive and streamlined.”</span></p> <p> </p>

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The place you never thought an alligator might end up

<p>A woman was given the fright of her life when she checked to see who, or in her case,<span> </span>what<span> </span>was pounding on her door when she realised an 113-kilogram alligator was on her porch.</p> <p>Geri Staples says she heard loud knocking on her front door on Tuesday morning in Merritt Island, Florida and after peering outside through some windows, she noticed the large reptile on her door step.</p> <p>It was then the Florida woman realised she needed to get as far away from the deadly alligator as possible.</p> <p>“I wasn’t sure, if he kept pounding like that, if he could actually open the door with his snout if he hit hard enough,” she explained to NBC Wash 2 reports.</p> <p>“So, I wasn’t taking any chances.”</p> <p>Staples says she fled to the upstairs area of her home, closing as many doors as she could.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7823620/1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/63cd31e4e4784982b17529491cda47ab" /></p> <p>While she fled, neighbours attempted to wrestle and trap the alligator but found it to be too violent and combative so turned to authorities, the United Press International reported.</p> <p>An alligator trapper later came and shot the animal dead.</p> <p>Florida is known for inhabiting the dangerous reptiles but Corey Larkam, a neighbour to Geri Staples told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/man-spots-giant-gator-at-neighbors-front-door-in-merritt-island" target="_blank">WKMG-TV</a><span> </span>the alligator was the largest he’d seen in Merritt Island.</p> <p>“That’s the biggest gator that has been here in the last 20 years that we have seen,” Mr Larkam said.</p>

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Giant alligator strolls onto Florida golf course

<p>Generally when most people hit the greens, the last thing they expect to see is a 4.6 metre long reptile wandering on to the fairway. For one group of golfers, however, that’s exactly what happened when they visited the Buffalo Creek Golf Course in Florida recently.</p> <p>“I didn’t know if we were being punked or something,” golfer Charles Helm told <a href="http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-sarasota-manatee/goliath-gator-spotted-at-palmetto-golf-course" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ABC Action News</span></strong></a> after a giant alligator wandered onto the course on his way to a nearby lake.</p> <p>According to a worker at the course’s shop, Wendy Schofield, this isn’t the first time the massive reptile has made an appearance. “He doesn't bother anybody and they don't bother him, he's like a mascot for the course,” she told <a href="http://news3lv.com/news/local/giant-alligator-roams-golf-course-in-florida" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">News 3</span></strong></a>.</p> <p>Take a look at the golfers’ stunned reaction in the video above. I think I’d run for it!</p> <p>What’s the most unexpected animal visitor you’ve ever had? Tell us about it in the comments below.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/05/alligator-climbs-front-door-of-familys-home/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Alligator climbs front door of family’s home</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/04/alligator-devours-smaller-gator/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Massive alligator devours smaller gator</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2016/04/fisherman-finds-alligator-at-end-of-his-line/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Fisherman finds gigantic surprise at the end of his line</strong></em></span></a></p>

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Massive alligator devours smaller gator

<p>An alligator, with little regard for comradery with its own species, was spotted tearing one of its smaller cousins apart in front of a stunned audience earlier this month.</p> <p>Alex Figueroa uploaded the video to YouTube after stumbling across the grisly scene while out for a morning walk at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida.</p> <p>In the video, the mammoth alligator can be seen biting on smaller foe and carrying it off into grassland, before giving its prey a good shake. Mr Figueroa estimated the larger alligator to be a whopping 3.6 metres (12ft) long.</p> <p>Shockingly, Gary Morse, an officer at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told Fox 13 in Tampa that the attack was “typical alligator behaviour." Research undertaken at Florida swamps and marshlands has determined six to seven percent of all juvenile alligators are attacked and eaten by their elders.</p> <p>Watch the video above to see the footage, but we warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/interspecies-animal-friendships/"><em>15 unlikely friendships that will melt your heart</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/11/funny-dog-snapchats/"><em>11 funny snapchat pictures that only dog lovers appreciate</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/family-pets/2015/10/why-dogs-so-happy-to-see-you/"><em>The science behind dogs being so happy to see you</em></a></strong></span></p>

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