The siren call of the mermaids wooed the wrong kind of traveller this Memorial Day weekend in Florida. An alligator found its way into Weeki Wachee's Mermaid Spring and had to be removed by a professional gator handler. The 9-ft. alligator swam into Buccaneer Bay and cruised by the underwater theater's huge glass windows, delaying the 11 am mermaid performance.

By the time a licensed trapper arrived and wrestled the gator into submission, a large crowd had gathered on the beach to watch. The alligator was carted away, to be released far from the mermaid springs.

Alligators have wandered into Weeki Wachee before, but this year concerns are heightened about violent encounters with the reptiles, who usually mind their own business. In 2006, three Florida women have been killed by alligators in separate incidents. Before that, only 17 fatal gator attacks had been recorded since 1948.

June 3, 2006: A second intruder was spotted by an ex-mermaid swimming in the springs on June 2, about the same length as the last alligator. The gator eluded attempts by a trapper to catch it. [05/28/2006]

February 10, 2012