POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A behemoth of an alligator was captured slowly walking before diving into a nearby waterway in Polk County earlier this month.
Brenda Stelzer said she was at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland when she laid eyes on the massive gator locals call “Fabio.”
“I was excited to see the notorious ‘Fabio’ as named by the locals,” she told WFLA.
Stelzer has a YouTube channel and Facebook group where she shares all the crazy wildlife footage she’s captured.
Where there’s water, there’s a gator: Here are the most alligator-infested lakes in Florida
In the state of Florida, it’s illegal to kill or harass an alligator without a permit. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also advises citizens not to bother or feed the animals.
Anyone with concerns about an alligator should call the agency’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
Here are some tips the FWC said people should know when dealing with alligators in Florida:
- Keep a safe distance if you see an alligator.
- Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.
- Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.
- Never feed an alligator. It’s illegal and dangerous. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food, which can lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and others who could encounter the alligator in the future.