Photo : Ferenc Cegledi ( iStock )

Picnicking is always a nice means of getting away from it all, but for a Florida couple looking to take a little time for themselves, their hopes were dashed by an unexpected visitor. No, it wasn’t Florida Man; this time, instead, ’twas a guac-hungry gator.


Gainesville, Florida news station WGFL spoke with a couple who had to deal with an alligator emerging from nearby Lake Alice to devour their entire meal, right in front of them. Taylor Forte and Trevor Walters, who are engaged, planned to dine together before Walters leaves town for the Marines. But when Forte’s waterside setup yielded an unexpected guest, they had to act quickly. The video below shows the picnic carnage:

Thankfully, they emerged unscathed, which is sadly more than the alligator can expect in the long run; a representative from the Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission points out that “Unfortunately it sounds like that gator has been fed previously and has lost its weariness [sic] of people and is beginning to associate people with food.” Once this happens, alligators are typically culled from the population for the sake of human safety.




While the incident is obviously unfortunate for the couple, we can’t help but wonder why somebody might decide to eat near any body of water in a state renowned for its frightening aquatic creatures. It’s like bringing a bunch of fireworks into a volcano. Also, that gator’s one-shot consumption of an entire bowl of guacamole is a standard to which many aspire, but few achieve, and for that we’ll remember it fondly.