Trappers wrangle ‘dangerous’ 9-foot gator named ‘Sergeant’ in Thonotosassa

THONOTOSASSA, Fla. (WFLA) — While many alligators are out looking for a partner this mating season, several of them are wandering into public places.

News Channel 8 reporter Chloe Sparks went behind the scenes to see how professionals handle the pesky predators.

When duty calls State Nuisance Alligator Trappers Robb Upthegrove and Julie Harter just need a location.

They work together to keep alligator threats in the Tampa Bay area away from the public. They have been doing it for decades.

“It varies by season, time of year and that kind of thing but nine in a 24-hour period is my record,” Harter said.

Park Rangers for John B. Sergeant Park in Thonotosassa told the trappers there was a threat in the Hillsborough River at the park and it needed to be removed as soon as possible.

The trappers hopped on the call for help immediately.

“It was dangerous,” Upthegrove said about the alligator. “It came right to us which means someone’s been feeding it and that’s what makes the alligator dangerous in Florida — when he’s fed by humans.”

The trappers decided to name the alligator Sergeant.

“He’s 9-foot. I knew he was at least an 8-foot but until you put a tape measure on him, you really don’t know how big they are,” said Upthegrove. “I’m not a carpenter.”

The estimated two hours it took to get Sergeant out of the river and into the truck was considered quick compared to most catches in locations like this and as big as Sergeant.

“With the population growth of Florida, and especially Hillsborough County,” Harter said, “They’ve [the public] got to understand I don’t care if he’s 2-foot or 10-foot you cannot feed the gator. He loses his fear of people.”

The capture wasn’t the easiest because it started on a pier, but Sergeant swam right up to the dock when he saw the trappers.

“Your adrenaline kicked in, his adrenaline kicked in because now all of a sudden he’s not the king anymore,” Upthegrove said. “So you have to be conscious of your safety, and harm to the alligator and any residents that may be around. You have a lot of variables to work with when you’re catching an alligator in public.”

Afterward, there’s a choice, the trappers can sell the alligator for its meat and skin or take it to an alligator farm.

Luckily for Sergeant, he was big enough to go to the alligator farm Gatorama for everyone to see.

We were sent a video of Sergeant being dropped off in his new home.

He has a friend in the pond named “MLK.” It’s the nearly 12-foot-long alligator who got caught in traffic last month on MLK Boulevard in Seffner. The trappers were able to get him out safely and take him to the farm.

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