Chew Valley lake alligator video: Reptile spotted hissing at passersby at Somerset reservoir
Water officials filmed the creature in the water before they caught it in a net
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Your support makes all the difference.A video has been released showing the moment an alligator was spotted hissing at passersby on the banks of a reservoir in Somerset in an area popular with local families.
Water officials were surprised when they stumbled upon the two-foot long baby reptile, which can grow up to 11 feet, "bathing in the sun" at Chew Valley Lake.
They filmed the small creature trying to make its escape back into the water but the workers followed it creeping along a concrete area before they captured it in a net.
The officials stored the alligator in a box and phoned the RSPCA - which collected the small animal and sent it to an expert reptile handler.
Mystery surrounds how it came to be in the water in the area popular with outdoor enthusiasts such as swimmers and sailors.
John Harris, fisheries and recreation officer with Bristol Water, told the Mirror: “One of our engineers spotted it bathing in the sun.
“We went down there and caught it and put it in a container. We think it's an alligator.
“Its mouth was open and it was hissing but I don't think it was dangerous.
“We've found terrapins in the past, but to see a reptile like this is very surprising.”
Bristol Water confirmed the alligator had been captured with a net. "It is on its way to London where a licensed handler re-homes reptiles of this nature,” Bristol Water later tweeted.
The surprise find comes after police were inundated with alleged sightings of a crocodile in Bristol and Somerset in 2014.
Several people spotted what they believed was the creature lurking in the River Avon. One jogger even took a photo of the suspected reptile after he saw it surfacing in the muddy water.
Officers launched a search for the alleged crocodile which left locals worried - but nothing was ever found.
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