VIRAL: Terrifying footage of 12-foot alligator seen at a mall - WATCH

Recently, a 12-foot alligator weighing 597 kg was seen ambling around a Florida shopping center. A video of the alligator being pulled from the Coconut Point Mall in Estero was posted on Facebook by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The department posted a message explaining that the large reptile was saved by MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife after it was observed ambling behind the Five Below Store. "Just moments ago, Sergeant Toslluku, Deputy Cevertus, and Deputy Roedding were called to a 12 foot, SIX HUNDRED POUND gator at Coconut Point Mall !!! Yes, you read that right. Our friends with MyFWC Florida Fish and Wildlife responded to the scene and, in a joint effort, got this massive guy to safety!" The department said in the caption.

The man is shown in the video successfully trapping the big reptile within the container by lifting it and shutting the lid, to the delight of witnesses who were nearby. Ultimately, the man wheeled the trash can to a lake close by and let the alligator go into the water. The gator made a quick retreat.

A different alligator video became viral online earlier this month. The video shows a man in Florida trying to contain an alligator that had gotten into a residential area in a rubbish can. With an open trash can in hand, the man in the video was seen approaching an alligator. The alligator backed off a little as he approached, and he could be heard on the recording saying, “Let me know when the head goes inside.”