Fearless Crane Escorts Alligator Across Golf Course

Alligators on the golf course are almost a common occurrence in the southeastern part of the United States. But what happened in Florida this week was far from normal.

Although they’re notorious for scaring the pants off golfers there’s one animal that hasn’t been afraid to step up to the gators. And its not another ferocious animal either, it’s a bird.

The Sandhill Crane is also a prominent part of wildlife in this area, sometimes nesting in near golf courses. Normally, the crane and an alligator would never have an interaction but this past week, one golfer caught the two in a rare battle of intimidation. The crane was seen flexing its six foot wingspan in front of the alligator, using its perceived size advantage to escort the gator from one pond to another.

File this one under “you have to see it to believe it.”

If you’re wondering why a crane would ever try to body up an alligator, the man who captured the incident, Eric Drexler, described the situation as he understood it. Drexler stated that the crane was protecting his wife and baby that were in a nearby nest. By escorting the gator away from the nest, it resulted in the crane directing traffic, moving the gator further away.

Believe it or not, this isn’t even the first time in the last year that a Sandhill Crane went after an alligator. The same thing happened almost exactly one year ago, when the crane flew down and used its wingspan to intimidate a gator, forcing it to walk away and avoid conflict.

With increased gator activity on courses in the south, maybe adding a course crane could help many managers tame their gator issues. Regardless, if a crane isn’t afraid of an alligator, it certainly won’t be afraid of a human. I suggest that if you come across one of them, you should avoid antagonizing them and simply worry about your ball.

Cover Image via Facebook