Florida Woman 'Borrows' Baby Alligator, Keeps It In Resort Bathtub: FWC

A Florida woman was cited after authorities found out she was keeping a juvenile alligator in a resort bathroom, according to WFTV. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said they got word from the Orange County Sheriff's Office about 25-year-old Madison Stephan housing the gator in a bathtub at the Grove Resort and Water Park in Winter Garden.

Deputies learned she "borrowed" the animal without permission from her former workplace, Croc Encounters in Tampa. FWC officers showed up to her resort room and found the young reptile on September 4, according to a news release.

Stephan told wildlife officers she took the reptile so she could snap pictures with it for her birthday, according to an incident report obtained by reporters. Officials said accessed Croc Encounters before they opened using the keys she still on hand. After she retrieved the reptile, she took it to Grove Resort and planned to stay for five days, FWC alleges.

The woman was cited under Florida Statute 379.3014, which prohibits the sale, possession, or transporting of alligators or alligator skins. FWC said the alligator was returned to the owner, who declined to prosecute Stephan for trespassing and theft.