BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Brevard County man contacted wildlife officials after he said he saw a crocodile with someone’s pet pug in its mouth.
“I saw it swimming by out the window. So I ran out to get a better look and that’s when I saw it had something in its mouth that was just swimming along with it,” Brevard County resident Eric Sedej said.
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Sedej this all happened in the Satellite Beach area.
Neighbors said don’t know if the crocodile grabbing the pug was an act of aggression or an opportunistic find. But, FWC officials responded to the scene, located the owner of the dog, and searched the area for both the crocodile and the missing dog, but neither were found. FWC said the crocodile response team is still monitoring the situation.
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FWC said American crocodiles are normally shy creatures. But in recent years there have been more of them spotted, and near the water’s edge, a pet can resemble a croc’s normal prey.
“Are these things capable of jumping up and grabbing something off somebody’s pier?” Brevard County resident Robert Pettit said. “And then it brings to question, well, maybe a dog might be a small child.”
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FWC officials said a decision hasn’t been made on whether the crocodile will be removed if found. But according to the agency, conflicts between crocs and people are extremely rare in Florida.
FWC said reports about problem crocodiles can be called into the agency’s toll-free nuisance alligator hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR.
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