Walmart Alligator: Unexpected Guest Just ‘chilling’ at Florida Department Store’s Front Door [VIDEO]
A Walmart store in Apopka Florida had a very unwanted customer over the weekend after a 6 foot long alligator wandered up to the store and parked itself near the front doors of the building.
The reptile crawled up to the store shortly after midnight Sunday, prompting employees to close and lock the doors to prevent it from entering the building.
The animal at one point stopped in the store entryway and caused the automatic doors to open and close until the employees were able to secure and lock them, according to the Christian Science-Monitor. The Supercenter store remained open during the incident.
Robin Watkins, a customer who was shopping with her daughter at the time of the encounter, told the CBS News affiliate WKMG more about what she saw.
"It was right against the door, you could see it, it was probably about 5 or 6 feet long, it was a nice-sized gator, just chillin'," she said.
The Apopka Police Department arrived at the scene and blocked the area for about an hour before calling a wildlife trapper. The reptile retreated to a wooded area behind the store by the time the trapper arrived on scene.
The alligator has since been found and is being kept in a retention pond near the store, according to ABC News. The FWC issued a permit Tuesday for the reptile to be caught.
"He'll be put down, unfortunately, said Karen Parker, a spokeswoman for the FWC. "It looks like he has lost the fear of people, and we don't want to take the chance of him hurting anybody."
No injuries were reported during the incident.
