STERLINGTON, La., April 28 (UPI) — A Louisiana homeowner’s father paid a visit to the under-construction house and discovered an unexpected squatter — a large and very ornery alligator.
David Bradford, whose son owns the Sterlington home, said he went to the house Tuesday morning before a scheduled visit from painters and discovered the reptile occupying the living room.
“And all of the sudden I saw something wave at me, and it was the alligator’s tail,” Bradford told KNOE-TV. “I got a little bit closer and said, ‘What in the devil is that?’ I got a little bit closer and it was a big alligator.”
Kenny Mccaa, owner of Northwest Painting LLC, soon arrived at the home to share in Bradford’s shock.
“Wow, that’s something you don’t see everyday,” Mccaa told KTVE-TV.
Mccaa posted photos of the reptilian squatter on the company’s Facebook page.
“Who says painting isn’t a dangerous job has never painted in Louisiana!” the post read.
Animal trapper Jeromy Pruitt was summoned to the home, where even he had to admit the situation was unusual.
“It freaked me out. I was like how did this thing get in here and what is he doing?” Pruitt said.
Video of the alligator’s capture makes it clear the animal was not enthusiastic about being evicted.
“He was hissing at me a little bit. He was pretty upset because I was fixing to take him out of his house,” Pruitt said.
The trapper was able to tie up the alligator with the help of his father, Jeff Pruitt.
“I didn’t know what I was gonna do. I didn’t know if the alligator was gonna come at me. I didn’t want him pinning me in a corner where I couldn’t get away from him, so just go with your instinct I just put the rope on him, got it on him and drug him out the back door as quick as I could,” Pruitt said.
He said the alligator was likely seeking a mate when he decided to invade the home.
“It’s alligator mating season. He’s going around to look for a companion. He can’t stay where he is because there’s probably a bigger bull alligator there that drove him out. So he’s got to find his own girlfriends,” Pruitt said.
