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Video shows tense moments as officers remove alligator from back patio of home

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Posted at 3:54 PM, Aug 26, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-26 17:54:00-04

Sheriff's deputies responded to a call about a dangerous animal on a property in Louisiana and found themselves trying not to get bitten.

Officers with a local sheriff's office arrived at a home where a three-foot alligator was trying to trade his life in the swamp for one lounging on a back patio by a pool.

Deputies Steve Hoff, Connor McLaughin, and Austin Mueller decided to remove the animal on their own, with one deputy wearing gloves and using his quick moves to grab the gator while another wrapped tape around its mouth so they would not be bitten.

Though the alligator appeared relatively small, its strength is easy to see as the deputies try to carry it to a new location.

“Many of our animal calls range from loose livestock, horses, dogs, and sometimes alligators,” said Sheriff Julian Whittington in a statement posted to social media. “Our deputies just have to be prepared for almost any call that comes in because you never know what the day will bring.”

The alligator was released into the Bodcau Wildlife Management in Benton, Louisiana.