Deputies argue over 9-foot alligator caught ‘taking a nap’ on Ruskin Road

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Hillsborough County deputy had his hands full early Wednesday morning after coming across a 9-foot alligator “taking a nap” in the middle of the road.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said the “unexpected roadblock” was discovered on College Avenue in Ruskin. Body camera footage of the encounter with the alligator shows the deputy attempting to get the animal off the roadway.

“Are you just taking a nap?” » the deputy asked the alligator as he slowly approached the large reptile. “Oh hello, big boy!” Come on, keep going. Come on, don’t be mean.

After a few twists and turns, deputies, with the help of Florida Fish and Wildlife, were able to extract the alligator and move it to a safer location.

“Just another day here in Florida,” said the the sheriff’s office wrote on social media.