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Florida animal trapper plays with 'gator until it tires, pulls it from pool

AP Author

(Paul Bedard via AP)

PARKLAND, Fla. – A Florida animal trapper says he corralled a large alligator by playing with it until it got tired after it hopped into a residential swimming pool.

Celebrity trapper Paul Bedard, who is contracted with the state’s nuisance alligator program, said Thursday that he was dispatched to a house in Parkland, Florida.

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Bedard said he was able to pull the nearly 9-foot (2.7-meter) animal out of the water once it grew tired from playing with him in the pool on Wednesday. He put a snare on its mouth and taped it.

He described the reptile as “mellow” and named it Cool Hand Luke after the 1967 film starring Paul Newman.

Bedard said the alligator weighed 185 pounds (83.92 kilograms).

Bedard starred in Animal Planet’s reality show “Gator Boys.

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Got an e-gator call this morning about an 8 to 9 foot alligator in a swimming pool up in Parkland. The gator had walked through the screen and into the pool. I haven't had a good-sized gator in a swimming pool in probably a year, so I was kind of looking forward to this when I got the call. These are actually fun because the gator can't go anywhere and the water's almost always crystal clear. So all I have to do is jump in the water play around with him until he's tired and I can either hold his mouth shut and put a snare on it and tape it, or if he super energetic I can get him tired enough where I can just pick him up without the tape and carry him out in the yard and then tape him up once I get there. This guy was super mellow didn't really give me a hard time at all, I couldn't get him to spin on me he really wanted nothing to do with me. I simply made a frontal catch put a snare on his mouth and taped him up. Then finally got him to expend some energy.... I didn't want to pull him out of the water until he was tired, because he'll usually go into a death roll and smash himself up on the concrete or, if he's not taped, bite the concrete or something so it's always better to make him expend that energy in the water where is not going to get banged up. He ended up being 8 feet 8 in, and didn't really give me a hassle at all, it was basically as smooth and easy as it ever gets. Thank you Lord, much appreciated. #gatorboysalligatorrescue #gatorboys #rescue #animal #alligator #gators #gator #paulbedard #evergladesholidaypark #everglades #crocodile #croc #greatful #nuisancealligator

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