Gators Say 'Buy American!'

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla., April 29 (UPI) -- A woman browsing cars at a Florida dealership discovered an 8-foot-7-inch alligator next to a vehicle she was planning to test drive, witnesses said.

Michael Chaparro, 24, a salesman at Sun Toyota in New Port Richey, said he called 911 after customer Denise Anderson, 33, spotted the mammoth reptile Tuesday morning near a Toyota Sequoia, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Wednesday.

Chaparro said Pasco County sheriff's deputies cordoned off the area while a professional trapper prodded the animal out from under a car and caught it with a lasso.

The salesman said he asked the trapper if he was planning to release the gator back into the wild.

"And he said, 'Yeah, I'll release it -- into my cooler,'" Chaparro said. "He said he was taking it back to Dade City to eat it."

Mark Lewis, a duty officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said captured alligators are "generally disposed" if they measure longer than 4 feet.

Thats right ... stupid Japanese Automakers ... Clearly a bid by gators to force Americans to buy American amidst the wave of negative financial news coming out of US Automakers ...

In other news, we'll look for Chaparro to be devoured by multiple alligators at a later date ...