A family in Davie had a surprise guest over breakfast Saturday morning when they discovered a large alligator in their backyard.

The Mermelsteins were starting their day when they looked out the window and saw the giant reptile lounging on their property on Southwest 78th Drive in the Orange Woods Estates neighborhood.

“We were having breakfast and we saw a big head that looked like an alligator and then it went past the window. I thought it was just my imagination,” said Trent Mermelstein.

When they made eye contact with the seven to eight-foot alligator, they quickly called Davie police.

“We assume it came from the pond up there, but our door was open because it was broken,” said Tina Mermelstein.

Authorities kept a close eye on the reptile before two professional hunters from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrived on the scene.

The two hunters used a rope and pole to tie up that alligator and wrapped duct tape around its mouth before finally pulling it out and loading it onto a truck.

The family told Local 10 that there is nobody of water in their backyard, but they do have a pond in front of the neighborhood.

The FWC told Local 10 off-camera that the alligator will be taken to an alligator farm in West Palm Beach or Naples.

An alligator more than seven feet long (nearly three meters) was found this Saturday in a home in Davie, South Florida (USA), by a family that had breakfast in the backyard and had no other choice. To remove it, notify the local authorities.

“We’re guessing it came from the pond up there, but our door was open because it was broken,” Tina Mermelstein told Local 10.

Two specialists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) immediately appeared at the house and immobilized the animal after an uncomfortable task, according to the images distributed by the aforementioned television channel.

The two hunters used rope and a long restraining pole to immobilize the large reptile, then wrapped duct tape around its mouth before finally pulling it out of the house and into a truck with the help of a third person.

During the maneuver, the alligator kept its mouth open showing a huge bite.

According to the same medium, the alligator, whose age was not specified, will be taken to one of the conservation farms for these animals that FWC has in West Palm Beach (southeast) or in Naples (southwest).

On April 27, an alligator more than 10 feet (three meters) long forced traffic to be cut off on a state highway on the outskirts of the city of Oviedo (central Florida).

The alligator emerged from Lake Jesup and crossed the road during heavy traffic causing motorists to panic, though it was not aggressive, according to photos from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

Agents from the sheriff’s office and the Oviedo police put an end to the alligator’s adventures, cornering him with their cars until he took him to the ditch.

There they waited for a trapper sent by the FWC to get him away from the place.

Each spring the FWC publishes tips for safely coexisting with alligators and crocodiles in Florida.

“The signs of spring (warm weather, blooming flowers, and nesting birds) are occurring throughout Florida. Warmer temperatures also mean alligators are more active and visible,” says that manual with recommendations to follow inside and outside the water, which is the natural environment of these animals.

According to the state agency, serious injuries from these “nuisance” reptiles are rare in Florida.

The alligator is a conservation success story in Florida, which has a “healthy and stable” population, estimated at 1.3 million animals of all sizes.

They are found in freshwater lakes, ponds, swamps, and slow-moving rivers in all 67 Florida counties, the FWC says.