FORT WHITE, Fla. – A Florida float trip turned into the ultimate surprise for three women after their close encounter with a hissing alligator.
Carole Chapuis captured video showing her friend drifting into a log on which the animal was perched. It all unfolded while they floated down the Ichetucknee River on inflatable tubes near Fort White, Florida, last Friday.
“It’s hissing at her!” Chapuis said in the video she posted to TikTok.
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As the alligator stared her down, the woman kicked off the log and drifted away from the large reptile.
“I’ve never seen a gator on the Ichetucknee ever!” the woman shouted.
Chapuis said she believes the alligator was protecting its nest.
“Alligators normally go into the water when approached to get away from humans,” Chapuis said. “Chances are she was a mama gator protecting her nest that was close to her somewhere.”