gator
Credit: MacDill Air Force Base

Wildlife Officers Wrangle Alligator from Under Plane

You’ve heard stories of birds, deer, coyotes, and other small mammals stopping planes, but...

You've heard stories of birds — lots of birds — deer, coyotes, and other small mammals stopping planes, but what about alligators?

The airstrip at MacDill Air Force Base, located just south of Tampa, Florida, came to a brief halt on Monday after an alligator snuggled up to the wheels of some landing gear. In response, the airbase called officers with the Florida Wildlife Commission for help.

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In a video of the incident, wildlife officers are seen wrangling the massive animal with rope and a beach towel as they try to remove it from the tarmac. Later, they returned it to the Hillsborough River.

Exactly how the alligator ended up on the tarmac is they think a famously large alligator — named Elvis — pushed him away from its home, but who really knows.