The sub-tropical state is home to daily thunderstorms, diverse populations, Mickey Mouse, and Florida alligators. The American Alligator is a formidable keystone species that you’ll find throughout most of the southeastern United States. The scaled, semi-aquatic reptile can be found in Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas. However, a quarter of the United State’s American Alligator population calls the state of Florida home, and as the state is a top-rated tourist destination, run-ins often happen, even at “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”

Orlando, home of Walt Disney World, is a booming tourist spot in the US due to its unofficial moniker of “Theme Park Capital of the World.” Vacation spots like SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Orlando, and Walt Disney World lure in millions of visitors each and every year. Despite its expanding growth, Orlando is also still teaming with wildlife native to the state of Florida, one of those species being the American Alligator. Although many may only associate wild Florida with places like the Everglades National Park when it comes to alligators, a typical rule of thumb is to always remember that if there’s water nearby, alligators are present, even if you can’t see them.

Walt Disney World is no different. Although the resort may feel like its own personal safe space, Disney World sits right in the middle of a swamp, and wildlife runs abundant with deer, snakes, rodents, bears, and alligators present throughout the grounds. The problem is so prevalent; sadly, there have even been deaths recorded at Walt Disney World due to the American Alligator. In 2016, a young child was killed by one of the predators while his family vacationed at the Grand Floridian Resort. Since then, Disney has taken a more proactive approach to managing and educating about the American Alligator population on their Florida property. Teaming with Florida Wildlife officials, they have removed nearly 250 alligators from Walt Disney World since the toddler’s death in 2016.

Just outside of Walt Disney World sits Lake Kissimmee, which, by density, is one of the most highly infested lakes in the entire state when it comes to the American Alligator. Other bodies of water that are home to the awesome reptiles also surround Walt Disney World, making the outskirts of Orlando a perfect place for alligator trackers to hunt the species, which has seen a boom since the 1990s when strict measures were put in place to secure the future of the animal. Alligators are allowed to be harvested in the state of Florida under state guidelines issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. As the American Alligator population has seen a sharp increase, managing the species through appropriate hunting and harvesting measures ensures the safety of human life and maintains the fragile balance in Florida swamps and ecosystems. For this reason, many alligator hunters look forward to the time of year when they can pack their gear, head to the boats, and harvest a few of the reptiles for sale, where their meat and hides are repurposed for food and goods.

One particular hunter, Kevin Brotz of Florida Gator Hunting, got the surprise of his life when we recently caught the second-largest American Alligator on record near Walt Disney World in Orlando. The hunter, who’s harvested nearly 1,000 gators, would find himself in for quite the ride when he hooked a massive 920lb alligator while out on a recent trip. After a serious fight, the gator was successfully harvested, measuring 13 feet 3 ¼ inches long, just shy of the state record of 14 feet, 3½ inches, 1,043 state record, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Carson Gore, who was hunting with Brontz that day, noted that although he is a seasoned hunter of the American Alligator, he’d never experienced something quite like that, calling the experience “surreal” and “totally humbling.” In an interview with Wesh 2, Gore called the massive animal a “giant dinosaur.” He went on to explain the experience in further detail.

“When we saw this gator, it was way bigger than anything we’ve ever caught before; it was a giant dinosaur. Not every day you get a giant dinosaur in your boat. I laid down in the front of the boat and said, ‘Alright, I have to lay down until we get back,’ because I thought I was going to die. That thing was huge.“

Brontz went on to explain that the giant alligator was harvested according to the law on tagging through the Statewide Alligator Harvest Program. It was caught on water using a rope and hook mechanism and, once harvested, provided over 130 lbs of usable meat, which will surely go to good use. Although not quite the state record, Brontz and Gore are proud of their catch and insist that harvesting such a large gator helps to maintain the current population of American Alligators in Florida, supporting them as a sustainable resource for hides and foods. Gore also went on to explain that the body of the second largest alligator ever harvested in Florida would go on to become a mount in his home. This particular specimen was captured in a relatively small body of water, a lake, in the Orlando area, reminding those visiting to always keep an eye out for wildlife.