Florida is known for having “special” problems that people in other states just don’t always come across. The state recently added a new oddity, a rotting alligator clogging the sewer pipes.
Residents in a Fort Meyers neighborhood noticed a funky odor coming from the sewer drain and the drainage system had been noticeably backed up. When the Public Works Department arrived they found something that shocked even seasoned Floridians: an 11-foot alligator.
County manager Roger Desjarlais posted a photo of the massive find to Facebook. The alligator was already dead and decaying so all they had to do was haul it out.
A spokeswoman for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said they get about two calls per year about gators, but mostly not that large. “Our pipes are not that big,” Betsy Clayton told the News-press.com.
For the gator to get into the pipes it must have fit into a 14-by-24 inch space and was found in a catch basin about 4 feet wide.
Due to recent rains, the drainage system would have been flooded with water. It appears likely this unlucky gator wandered into the pipes and made a wrong turn.
Photo credit: Facebook/Roger Desjarlais
