6-foot alligator strategically places itself outside cafeteria door at Florida school

A hungry alligator shamelessly stationed itself outside the cafeteria door of Florida elementary school, forcing police to hogtie the reptile and drag it away, video shows.

St. Cloud police shared photos on Facebook, noting the gator was “trespassing on school grounds” and had to be taken into custody with “strict instructions to never return.” St. Cloud is about 25 miles south of Orlando.

Security camera video posted to TikTok shows the alligator was clearly irritated at the cops, snapping multiple times at one officer, then doing a series of flips to try to break free of a catchpole.

Four men stepped in to subdue the gator in a courtyard and tie its limbs tied behind its back, the video shows.

The 6-foot alligator was found around 7:45 a.m. Monday, May 16, at Michigan Avenue Elementary School and was “preventing students and staff from entering,” WESH reported.

It ended up “right outside the cafeteria door,” Fox 35 Orlando reported.

“Our students thought this was the greatest thing ever!” Assistant Principal Erin Williams told the Fox station. “They’re looking out the windows in their cars! They’re screaming.”

Police posted that they named the reptile “Gary the Gator,” and it was eventually taken to a nearby canal and released unharmed, WESH said.

A 6-foot alligator is on the small side by Florida standards. On average, the species grows to 13 feet and 800 pounds in the state, according to the Key West Aquarium. The largest found was 17 feet 5 inches, and it was living in the Everglades National Park, the aquarium reports.

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