Alligator
(IN PHOTO) An alligator lies on the bank in the Pantanal wetlands near in Pocone outside World Cup host city Cuiaba June 22, 2014. On days between World Cup games, Pantanal - the planet's largest wetlands and almost as big as Britain - draws fans from around the world who have come to the host city of Cuiaba, located in the exact geographical center of South America. In lobbying World Cup organizers FIFA for host city status, Cuiaba and the Brazilian government touted the wildlife - an estimated 1,000 bird species, 300 mammals and 9,000 invertebrates - they could show tourists on their doorstep. They hope the exposure during the high-profile tournament puts Pantanal on people's travel wish-lists for years to come. Picture taken June 22. Reuters

Before the reptile could eat people or pets, authorities caught on Wednesday a 6-foot-long alligator at the entrance of Taco Bell in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. The animal, which weighed several hundred pounds, fought its captors.

ABC reports that the alligator flipped all over the place and was hissing while fighting its captors. A small crowd, mostly tourists from Virginia, watched the capture of the gator.

Taco sought the help of authorities when it saw the alligator crawling up its drive thru at 7:30 am, just before the franchise holder opened. Cynthia McCall, the Taco branch assistant manager, shared that the store crew and diners took a lot of photos and videos of the alligator since most of them saw a real live reptiles for the first time, reports the New York Daily News.

Prior to the animal’s capture in Taco, the gator was spotted hunting for its early morning meal around an Ethan Allen outlet, according to WCIV. The alligators likely come from a body of water within the Hamlets Subdivision in Goose Creek.

A day after the gator was caught at Taco, a resident of the subdivision who was walking along Tattingstone Way saw a 10-foot-alligator on the same road. The resident called authorities. ABC reports that police “escorted” the reptile back to the water.

Reptiles in different parts of the world lately have been in the news for their preying on animals and persons. Their latest victims include a poacher in Zimbabwe who was seen being eaten by a crocodile by British tourists on a boat tour. Last week, authorities captured another croc that ate a dog in Daly City.

To contact the writer, email: vittoriohernandez@yahoo.com

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