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VENICE, Florida (CNN) — Look before you leap. It's an old saying that may have helped keep a Florida family safe this Memorial Day after a large alligator took up residence in their swimming pool.
Sarasota County Sheriff's deputies were called to a Venice, Florida, home Monday to help relocate the uninvited guest, which was measured at 7 to 8 feet long.
Gators in Florida swimming pools are not uncommon. But this one was captured on video thrashing and rolling about as a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trapper attempted to drag the critter out of the water.
After the trapper slipped a noose over the gator's head and dragged it toward the pool's steps, the animal went berserk, rolling more than a dozen times and snapping its jaws.
The Sarasota County Sheriff's Office posted video of the tricky removal to Facebook along with the caption, "Because no two days on patrol are ever the same... #OnlyInFlorida #MemorialDayInTheSunshineState #DeathRoll #LookBeforeYouLeap."
The gator was eventually dragged out of the pool without incident and was to be relocated to a safer and more "appropriate" location, the sheriff's office said.
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