A huge alligator was wrestled away from a residential street after being found prowling around outside people's homes in Florida.

In a video of its capture, recorded on December 10, a brave man sneaks up to the 7ft-long animal where it is lying in the grass next to a pathway in the city of Bonita Springs, in Lee County.

He quickly loops a collar around its head and the alligator starts to thrash around wildly, using all its strength to try and break free until it is finally subdued.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office uploaded pictures of the giant scaly animal on Twitter as they updated people on its removal.

The account said the "nuisance" beast measured 7ft 1 inch in length and joked "see you later alligator" when it was finally caught.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were able to relocate the alligator after their team successfully caught it.

Animal lovers were sympathetic to the plight of the alligator, who they reckoned was cold as temperatures sank to as low as 17C in Bonita Springs.

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"Poor thing! He's probably just cold and looking for a snuggle," tweeted one viewer.

A second said: "He was cold, trying to warm up.

"The officers were awesome! Glad he's safe…"

Although alligators are fearsome-looking apex predators, they bite people less often than dogs in Florida and are statistically less dangerous than bees or even horses.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says alligator attacks are "rare" but, as the human population increases near wetlands, it notes that "more frequent alligator-human interactions" will happen.

It advises people to never feed an alligator and keep their distance if they spot one.

People should also swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and keep pets on a leash and away from the water.

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