Gator Blocked Plane At FL Air Force Base: Watch

TAMPA, FL — A feisty gator was caught and relocated Monday after blocking the wheels of a plane at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. (Watch a video of the gator being wrangled below.)

Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission officers were called in to help wrangle the reptile

The “newest toothy airman … (was) relocated to a more suitable environment off base” - the Hillsborough River, MacDill wrote in a Facebook post.

• Also Read: 9-Foot Gator Saved On Selmon Expressway In Tampa

Gators are starting to become more active across Florida, according to the FWC.

After being dormant throughout the winter, gator courtship begins in early April with mating taking place in May or June, the agency said.

In late June or early July, female alligators build their nests and deposit anywhere from 32 to 46 eggs, which incubate and hatch from mid-August through early September.

Gators are found in the marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes of all 67 Florida counties, FWC said.

With the state’s human population growth in recent years, there’s been an increase in alligator-human interactions. It’s possible for people and gators to coexist and serious injuries caused by the reptile are rare in Florida, the agency said.

Anyone concerned about an alligator should call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286. The FWC will dispatch one of its contracted nuisance alligator trappers to resolve the situation.

Watch a video of the gator being wrangled at MacDill Air Force Base: