Drivers in Tampa, Florida, faced an unusual delay on Sunday when a 10-foot alligator blocked a busy junction near Interstate 75. The reptile lay in the middle of a six-lane boulevard, obstructing traffic for nearly five minutes before a Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputy arrived to guide it to a nearby lake.
Video footage captured by witness Ruchama Lubin-Desir shows the alligator calmly strolling away as police approached, appearing to wait for a VIP escort. The clip has been viewed over 12 million times online. 'Only in Florida, that's my slogan!' Lubin-Desir told local media.
Driver Sue Blockel Juncal described the scene: 'He sauntered while drivers scooted around him. He'd take five steps, pause, take five more steps and pause. The honking and cars didn't seem to bother him.' Juncal added that the alligator was large enough to damage any car that hit it.
Social media users speculated that the alligator's behaviour was linked to mating season, which runs from April to June. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office noted that gators become more active in spring and summer as temperatures rise, increasing their metabolism and search for food. The same day, deputies caught another 10-foot gator under a parked car at a Tampa apartment complex. No injuries were reported.
