Florida Homeowner Catches 10-Foot Alligator Swimming In Their Backyard Pool

A Florida man wasn't expecting to find a massive, 10-foot-long alligator taking a swim in his backyard pool. According to Newsweek, the incident happened Monday (May 1) around 8 p.m. just off West Calusa Club Drive in Kendall.

Florida Fish and Wildlife officers and trappers with Pesky Critters pest control responded to the scene to remove the scaly intruder, who was named Fred. Video posted to Pesky Critters' Facebook page shows the owner, Todd Hardwick, binding Fred's snout shut with tape and loading him in the back of a pickup truck.

"Fred got lonely and was looking for a girlfriend," he told FWC officers in the footage. The alligator trapper told Newsweek Fred put up a good fight while they were pulling him from the pool.

"Male alligators are very territorial during the breeding season, and often even fight among themselves for territory and females around this time of year," Hardwick explained to reporters. "He did death roll a lot during removal which we unfortunately didn't catch on camera."

The Pesky Critters owner said this type of encounter isn't uncommon, especially during a season when alligators are roaming about residential areas looking for food and love.

"This particular alligator was living in a body of water in the neighborhood and they of course don't know the difference between a pool and a pond," Hardwick said, adding that they've had a pretty busy season, so far. "This is the fourth nuisance alligator that posed a serious threat to humans that we've had to remove in the past 14 days."

Alligator mating season got an early start this year and is expected to continue through May and June. That means Florida's most iconic animals are going to be more aggressive and territorial.

Hardwick and experts urge residents to call a professional if there's a nuisance gator on their property.