Residents who live near Highland Oaks Park in northern Miami shared the park and the surrounding lakes in the American crocodile for years.
On Monday, authorities pulled one of the scaly reptiles apart after getting a little too close to a nearby home.
In the early hours of the morning, one of the two crocodiles, a woman, wandered towards the resident’s doorstep. It was the second time in recent weeks that one of the creatures has approached their home. Neighbors reported that the man pedaled his bike on the darkened sidewalk and crossed the animal’s tail.
Local governments were summoned and traps with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Committee drove to gather her.
The crocodile’s legs were zipped and its mouth was sealed with what looked like duct tape. Trapper tagged the crocodile and took blood specimens from near the animal’s nose. With the help of several Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies, as well as garden residents who broke into the crocodile, Trapper loaded alligators into the flatbed of a pickup truck, as other residents could see close by.
Wildlife agents told the Miami Herald that his agency had seen no evidence of nesting activity by the pair, and that captured crocodiles would be moved away from people.
In recent months, the two crocodiles had both called Charlie, scattered from the artificial lake house.
The animals sparked controversy between residents who view them as a threat to pets and children, and those who believe that animals should be left alone as they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Species Act.
On the NextDoor app, one neighbor said the canal and waterway gates leading to the Oleta River, and ultimately the Biscayne Bay gate, are of little use to prevent creatures from moving to residential areas.
As some discussed how to deal with the issue of “ambush predators,” they argued that humans need to do more for reptiles.
“Poor Charlie” wrote one resident. “He probably was afraid to let his tail go away,” she added in a more serious vein:
