‘Commotion’: See a mama gator chase a heron who snatched a baby gator at a Florida park
A wildlife photographer in Florida caught quite a sight this month.
On his Facebook page, Ted Roberts, a volunteer tour guide at the Orlando Wetlands Park in Christmas, Florida, showed his followers a picture of a heron that had just snatched a baby alligator, with an adult (likely its mama) in hot pursuit.
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“While waiting between tours, we heard a commotion and saw a Great Blue Heron jump out onto the road with a baby alligator in its mouth followed closely by the angry mother alligator futilely giving chase,” Roberts captioned the dramatic shot.
The post carried 200 comments by Friday. People called the picture “iconic,” “fabulous” and a “once in a lifetime” capture.
Others were disturbed by the subject matter.
“I never thought I would feel badly for an alligator.”
“Look how heartbreaking.”
“No worries,” responded a realist. “Gators snatch herons all the time. This is just nature balancing the scale.”
READ MORE: See babies ride on mama alligator’s back in Florida
Roberts told Fox News Digital he is “thrilled” his shot is getting so much attention.
“It was an instance of being in the right place at the right time and being trained to be ready — which sums up what so much of wildlife photography is about.”
Unfortunately for the reptile — or fortunately, for the bird — the heron apparently managed to escape with the fresh meal before the gator could catch up to it, the outdoorsman added.
