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Struggling alligator rescued from salt water off Miami Beach

By Ben Hooper
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July 24 (UPI) -- Police and wildlife officials in Florida rescued an alligator spotted struggling in the salt water off the state's coast.

Miami Beach Police said officers and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission personnel responded to a beach near South Pointe Park on Sunday to rescue an alligator seen struggling in the water.

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Witness Drew Mandala said he was running in the area Sunday morning when he saw a large group of people gathering to look at something in the water.

"I came over and there it was. I couldn't believe it," Mandala told WPLG-TV.

Officers said the alligator had apparently gotten lost and was struggling in the salt water. The Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute states alligators are freshwater creatures, but can survive for short periods of time in salt water.

The alligator was not injured.

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