You know those days where you just really want to hop on a lilo in a luxurious pool, cocktail in hand, and sunbathe to your heart’s content?
I’ll be honest with you, I’m having one of those days now and would love nothing more than pack my bag, leave the office and jump on the nearest plane (don’t tell my editor).
But anyway, enough about me and on to the purpose of this article: an alligator is living my dream by lying on a pool float (an alligator pool float no less) in Florida. In other words, it’s living its best life and I’m more than a little bit jealous.
Okay so picture the scene. You’re staying in an Airbnb on holiday with your family, looking forward to having a quick dip in the pool outside when all of a sudden you notice something bobbing along in the water.
You think, ‘oh it’s nothing to worry about, just an alligator pool float’. Until you realise that it’s actually an alligator on an alligator pool float and then you freak out.
Well, you take a picture first and then you freak out. Because let’s face it, you’re probably never going to get another opportunity like this and the picture is 10/10, if I’m being honest.
I mean, look at it:
As reported by Local 10, David Jacobs, from Georgia, was on holiday with his family in South Miami. The family were visiting the area for a wedding.
Jacobs said they first noticed the alligator in the lake behind the home, when the gator took a keen interest in the family’s dog. They thought nothing more of it though, and simply went back inside the house.
It wasn’t until Sunday (May 19) when the family noticed the alligator had moved from the lake into the pool. Not only that, but it was chilling on the alligator float. What are the chances?!
Jacobs told Miami New Times the family thought the alligator was ‘cute’ when they first saw it in the lake, although their dog Rascal – who spent the day barking because of the alligator’s presence – probably wouldn’t agree.
Jacobs said of the moment they saw the gator:
My daughter, who’s 14, was like, ‘Dad, this is soooo meta’. We have gators in Georgia, but they’re just in areas that are not as populated, like some swamp where no one lives. But in Florida, they’re just in your neighborhoods. I guess it’s not that unusual, but it was unusual to me.
The family called the owner of the Airbnb they were staying in, who contacted someone from wildlife management. Eventually, they were able to fish the reptile out of the pool.
Hopefully the alligator will have found somewhere else to live its best life.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).