A Florida man was bitten by an alligator that greeted him at his doorstep

(CNN) A Florida man was bitten in the leg by an unexpected visitor: an alligator waiting right outside his door.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told CNN in an email that it received a call about the bite on March 4. The 56-year-old was bitten in the thigh, according to the commission. They dispatched a nuisance alligator trapper to remove the reptile from the area.

CNN affiliate WKMG reported that Daytona Beach resident Scot Hollingsworth was watching television when he heard a noise at the door.

“I jumped up and walked over to me and opened the door, walked out trying to get to the lights and barely got out of the door and squeezed my leg and (her) started shaking very violently,” he said, according to WKMG.

He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from the 9ft alligator.

“I suspect I surprised the alligator as much as it surprised me,” Hollingsworth said.

The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told CNN that people should keep a safe distance from alligators at all times. You should also keep pets on a leash, swim only in designated areas during the day, and never feed an alligator.

The commission also explains on its website that Floridians can expect to see more alligators than usual as the weather warms. Reptiles are also most active between dusk and dawn.

Florida is home to a total of about 1.3 million alligators, according to the commission’s website. The agency routinely euthanizes so-called “nuisance” alligators, which are 4 feet or more in length and pose a threat to people or wildlife. The commission says relocated alligators will usually try to return to the site where they were captured and continue to cause problems, so they should be euthanized or transferred to zoos or wildlife rescues.

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