OVIEDO, Fla. – An alligator was found in an Oviedo stormwater pipe during an inspection by city crews last week, according to city officials.
In a release, officials stated that on May 5, a stormwater crew was out at Lockwood Boulevard near Riverside to investigate a series of potholes that had appeared along the roadway.
As part of the investigation, the crew sent a robot — a four-wheel robotic camera — into one of the nearby storm pipes to search for any underground leaks or cracks, the release shows.
However, video released by the city shows that the robot came across a 5-foot alligator during its search.
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“At first, they thought it was a toad, and in the video, you see two little glowing eyes until you get closer,” Oviedo Communications Manager Lisa McDonald wrote. “But when it turned around, they saw the long tail of the alligator and followed it through the pipes!”
The robot followed the alligator up to about 340 feet, at which point the robot got stuck, and the alligator wandered off, McDonald explains.
City officials said that the video is an effective reminder for residents to not play in the storm-water pipes.
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