An eight-foot crocodile caused havoc in Florida this week after it escaped out of a window while being transported in a van.
The dramatic incident took place after the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park loaded up some crocodiles, including the 150lbs escapee, into a van as it prepared to relocate them to another area of the zoo on Tuesday, February 22.
The zoo described the crocs as being 'secured and placed into [its] zoo van', but it seems this particular crocodile didn't stay secure for long as it managed to break the back window of the van before making its great escape.
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See footage of what happened next below:
In a post on Facebook, the zoo explained the escape didn't go unnoticed and that crew members quickly jumped into action in order to recapture the crocodile on the side of the busy Florida road.
Footage filmed by onlooker Jessica Stark and shared by the park shows one crew member holding the crocodile by a rope while a second jumped onto its back to hold it down, and a third joined by helping to secure its lower back and tail. The zoo described the situation as a prime example of why staff have 'extensive training and do drills, to prepare for moments like this.'
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Thanks to the crew's training, the crocodile was quickly recaptured and delivered safely to its new habitat.
Though the creature looked far from docile as it thrashed about in the video, the zoo has assured that 'at no time was there any real danger as the animal’s mouth was secured.'
Alongside the video, it added: 'And impressive “GIRL POWER”! Karsyn (Reptile Keeper) and Gen (General Curator) recaptured it, with help from Ryan and Donald from Maintenance.'
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The incident took place not far from the zoo’s entrance on the A1A highway, according to The Miami Herald, where Stark pulled out her phone as the crocodile crawled out while she drove behind the van.
In a post on Facebook cited by the Herald, she explained: 'It happened so fast I thought it was a big piece of rubber (I’m blind). Nope it was a freaking gator... He almost made it to the other side! Those gator farm people are savage and handled it.'
The footage of the dramatic recapture has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook, where impressed viewers have described the scene as 'awesome' and praised the crew members for doing a 'great job'.
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Emily Brown