Florida police wrangle with massive 600-pound alligator in wild scene

Florida police in Sarasota had their hands full removing a 600-pound alligator earlier this week.

Dramatic footage released by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Department showed seven deputies and a skilled animal trapper wrangling the 14-foot reptile.

The trapper was able to keep the gator’s jaws shut while the deputies pounced on the animal’s limbs and tail. 

Together they were able to heft the beefy reptile into the back of a pickup truck.

This comes at a time of year when gator activity begins to wind down in Florida. Alligators are generally dormant through winter.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, alligators stop feeding when temperatures drop below 70 degrees and become dormant when temperatures fall below 55 degrees.

High temperatures in Sarasota County this week were in the 70s.

Reptiles rely on the sun to regulate their body temperature. Iguanas in Florida experience a similar phenomenon in the winter where they become cold-stunned.

The largest gator caught in the state measured 14 feet, 3 ½ inches, from Lake Washington, according to the Commission.

Florida currently has a statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, where concerned residents can call to have an alligator removed if they believe the reptile is threatening people, pets or property.

It is illegal for untrained people to handle alligators.

The Sheriff’s Office said this gator was safely released at an alligator farm.