A simple afternoon of TV watching turned into a harrowing experience for Mary Hollenback of Venice, Florida when an unwelcome guest barged into her home. On July 12th, Hollenback was relaxing in her living room when she heard a rattle at her front door.
Initially, she believed it to be someone attempting to enter the wrong house, a common mistake in her neighborhood. However, to her horror, upon investigation, she found an 8ft alligator making its way into her kitchen. Despite the magnetic clasp on her door, the reptile managed to force its way in, leaving Hollenback in a panic and wondering how to safely remove the intruder.
In a statement to WFLA, Hollenback described the terrifying encounter and shared her immediate reaction. “I got off the couch and came around the door prepared to say ‘you’re in the wrong place.’ I probably got no further, no closer to the front door than you are right now. Just close enough to look and see that it wasn’t a person trying to get in – it was an alligator.” Shaken and fearing for her safety, Hollenback quickly grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter and dialed 911, unable to think of any other number in her state of panic.
Upon receiving the distress call, two Sarasota County Sheriff’s deputies and three officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission swiftly arrived at the scene. With the help of their training and experience, they were able to safely contain and remove the alligator from Hollenback’s home.
According to Hollenback, one of the officers even joked about not believing her report until he witnessed the gator for himself. “The one deputy was really pretty funny because he told me that when he saw the report, he didn’t believe me until he walked in the house and saw the gator.”
The team of officials managed to corral the alligator and secure its jaws before carefully loading it into a pickup truck and transporting it to an alligator farm. Upon further investigation, it was determined that the alligator had most likely come from a nearby pond, unnoticed by Hollenback or her neighbors. Fortunately, there were no injuries or damages reported as a result of the incident, and the alligator was safely relocated without harm.
Alligator-human encounters are not uncommon in the state of Florida, especially in areas where humans and alligators coexist. However, it is rare for an alligator to force its way into a person’s home, making this incident particularly alarming and noteworthy.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises residents to keep a safe distance from alligators and refrain from feeding or approaching them. They also recommend keeping doors and windows closed and secure to prevent unwanted animal intrusions.
While the incident has certainly shaken Hollenback and left her with a chilling story to tell, she is grateful for the quick response of the authorities and relieved that no one, including the alligator, was harmed. As for the alligator itself, it will now have a new home at the alligator farm where it will live out the rest of its life.
Hollenback hopes her unexpected encounter serves as a reminder for others to remain cautious and aware of their surroundings, especially when living in alligator-populated areas.
