MIAMI – State wildlife officials removed a 10-foot alligator late Friday from a backyard after it was spotted wandering around Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, authorities said.
Capt. Ignatius Carroll Jr., a spokesman for Miami Fire Rescue, said firefighters found the animal just after 11 p.m. near Northwest 37th Avenue and Northwest 13th Street.
At first, firefighters thought the alligator was an unconscious person on the sidewalk, but on closer inspection, they discovered it was an alligator and called in agents with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Carroll said.
While waiting for wildlife officials, firefighters kept people and cars away from the alligator and corralled the animal into a nearby fenced backyard, Carroll said.
A trapper eventually removed the alligator from the backyard. The animal was later euthanized for safety reasons, Carroll said.