Video shows Florida crew finding alligator hiding in stormwater pipe

A camera affixed to a robot captured an alligator hiding in a Florida stormwater pipe.

On May 5, the City of Oviedo sent a four-wheel robotic camera to investigate "anomalies" under the roadway after a series of potholes appeared, the city said in a news release on Facebook.

Gator in a Stormwater Pipe
You've heard of Snakes on a Plane? How about Gator in a Pipe? On May 5, a Stormwater crew was out at Lockwood Blvd near Riverside to investigate a series of potholes that have appeared in the roadway. The crew has a robot, which is a four-wheel robotic camera that can go into the pipes and investigate any anomalies under the roadway. They usually bring the robot out to inspect when there are potential roadway defects to see if any pipes have leaks, cracks, defects, etc.. underground. On Friday’s inspection, as you’ll see in the video, they came across a five-foot alligator! At first, they thought it was a toad and in the video, you see two little glowing eyes until you get closer - but when it turned around, they saw the long tail of the alligator and followed it through the pipes! You can see in the video they got about 340 feet in before the robot got stuck on a little indentation and the alligator meandered off. Just another reason not to go wandering down into the Stormwater pipes! Thank goodness our crews have a robot.
Posted by City of Oviedo - City Administration on Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The city said the robot is usually deployed to inspect underground pipes for leaks, cracks, and defects.

During its inspection on Friday, a five-foot alligator made a surprise appearance.

At first, the video shows two glowing eyes on what appears to be a toad. As the robot gets closer, it becomes clear the eyes belong to something much larger.

The alligator, most likely confused, carefully backs up while staring intensely at the robot. The alligator continues to walk backwards until the robot crashes into it, prompting the alligator to turn around and speed away as the robot trails closely behind.

The chase continues for 340 feet and ends when the robot gets stuck on an indentation, allowing the alligator to "meander off," according to the city.

"Just another reason not to go wandering down into the Stormwater pipes! Thank goodness our crews have a robot," the city wrote.

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