An Immokalee family said their dog was killed by an alligator in the pond behind their home. They want a trapper to remove the gator, but their homeowners' association has yet to authorize it.
Katherine Akkoul said their husky, named Mekah, was a loving companion to her four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. But Mekah got out of the house over the weekend and evidently got too close to the pond, where the alligator was waiting. Katherine and her husband saw it thrashing around in the water.
"My husband went over to investigate, and it was our 9-month-old puppy that the alligator was ripping to pieces," Akkoul said. "It was pretty horrific...just painful."
RELATED:
'Swamp Brothers' seek help finding rare white gator Snowball
With the alligator still lurking near their home, Akkoul is concerned for the safety of her young children. She wants the HOA for her neighborhood, Arrowhead Reserve off of Lake Trafford Road, to get the gator away from their home.
"I've called my HOA several times, and I always have an issue getting through to them," Akkoul said. "I live in a community that I pay money to have maintained, and that includes our waterways, especially if we have children and pets."
Fox 4 reached out to the HOA to see if there was any way to get a trapper to remove the nuisance gator. A representative said they were waiting to hear back from the HOA's board, but otherwise could only say "no comment."
"I think it is the HOA's responsibility to make sure that (an alligator trapper) is getting out here," Akkoul said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, or SNAP, removed 8,455 nuisance alligators in 2017. They must first have permission from the property owner or management authority to do so, however.
The hotline to report a nuisance alligator is 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286.)
