An 8-foot alligator, spotted on a stroll near Deltona Middle School on Sunday, was gone before a trapper got to the scene, Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said Tuesday.
"A trapper was dispatched through FWC to a Deltona school to remove an approximate 8-foot alligator that was roaming school property, per an anonymous call," said FWC spokesman Greg Workman. "The trapper was unable to locate and remove the alligator."
Workman said it appears the alligator had moved into the woods surrounding the school.
"The alligator was unlocatable and FWC hasn’t received any additional reports or sightings," Workman said. "From what I understand, there’s water nearby that might be where the alligator came from and went back to."
The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) notified the school that a gator was reported in the area, Workman said.
Volusia County schools spokeswoman Nancy Wait said on Tuesday that the gator's presence was reported to animal control/Florida Fish and Wildlife. School administrators also walked the entire campus in the early morning Monday, including the sidewalks and bushes in front of the school, to ensure it was safe, Wait said.