Later-Gator

[mhyde71]

These first 2 pictures were taken by a KTBS helicopter flying over Lake Thomas , Winter Haven , Florida . The helicopter pilot and the game wardens on the ground were in communication via 2-way radios.

Here is a transcript of their conversation.

'Air1, have you a visual on the gator, Over'

'Approaching inlet now, Over'

'Roger Air1'

'Gator sighted. Looks like it has a small animal in its mouth....moving in, over'

'Roger Air1'

'Oh Crap it's a Deer!'

'Confirm Air1.. Did you say Deer?, Over'

'Roger.........a Deer in it's mouth....looks like a full sized buck....that's a big gator, boys. We're gonna need more men, Over'

'Roger Air1.....can you give me a idea on size of animal, over'

'Its a big one.....25 feet at least, please advise, gator is heading to inlet....do I pursue?, over'

That has to be a HUGE gator to have a whole deer in its mouth!

The deer was later found to be a mature Stag.

If you ski at the west end of the lake ---- try not to fall overboard.

This alligator was found between Lakeland and Winter Haven Florida near the house of Anita and Charlie Rogers, who could hear the beast bellowing in the night.

Their neighbors had been telling them that they had seen a mammoth alligator in the waterway that runs behind their house, but they dismissed the stories as exaggerations.

'I didn't believe it,' Charles Rogers said, but after the alligator was killed, they realized the stories were, if anything, understated.

Game wardens were forced to shoot the alligator. Joe Goff, a 6'5" tall game warden, shown below, walks past the 28-foot, 1-inch long alligator that he helped shoot and kill in the Rogers ' back yard.

[freshkryp69]

Since they killed it, it belongs in the smithsonian for sure! I'm born and raised in Fl and biggest I've Seen was about 15ft, but this is a big ass gator!! 28.1ft...

[ttocs]

YOWZERS!!!!

[kg1961]

OMG that huge

[stipud]

Poor gator

[Rold Gold]

Now Shaq can get some pink gator shoes............

[Bfowler]

dude, that thing could eat me in one bit. thats nuts.

sad they had to kill it, they should have relocated it to north korea or something

[12voltjunky]

RIP - steve erwin. where is he when you need him most?

[str3atwarrior]

WOW that is huge! Don't have them in Quebec so never saw one for real, but the pictures are crazy!

[fuzzysnuggleduck]

I wonder why they had to kill the gator? Was it endangering people because it was in someone's backyard?

[Thumper88]

I sometimes get crap like this in my email from certain family members.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/wcgator.asp

It's actually 13 feet....still big.

[ttocs]

so what about the deer picks?

[tonym]

so what about the deer picks?

Photoshop=priceless

[Thumper88]

Totally different story...
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/gatordeer.asp

Wow, someone had the intelligence to puzzle two stories together into one....

"This one was at least 12-13 feet long."