It may sound like something that would happen in Florida, but this time police in Detroit, Michigan, encountered a family of alligators while serving a routine eviction notice for a home on the east side.

On December 16, a 36th District Court bailiff and fellow officers were met with four alligators while serving a lawful court order for eviction at a home in Detroit.

Responding officers discovered a total of three baby alligators and an adult in a tank.

According to police, the tenant fled the house before officers arrived.

Officials with Detroit Animal Care and Control were then called in to wrangle the alligators and take them into custody.

The adult alligator, in particular, was a struggle for animal control workers to control, but they were eventually able to restrain him without any injuries being reported to either party.

Although Michigan law states it is legal to own alligators in the state, it is not legal to own alligators within the city limits of Detroit.

Animal control reported that the alligators were healthy and in good condition.

Officials say the next step is to sell the reptiles, but if they cannot find a buyer, they may have to euthanize them.

However, Detroit Animal Care and Control said the animals will most likely be given to a licensed animal keeper.

Jovan Stacks, a federally licensed exhibitor and owner of 1 Exotic Zoo, said alligators need a proper environment to thrive.

“A lot of times, people can obtain an alligator without knowing the proper laws. An alligator that’s not fed a proper diet, the entire snout and the mouth will be deformed.”

According to Stacks, the owner of the alligators knew how to care for them properly.

“It looks like whoever had this alligator was taking care of it. If you did not have proper filtration, which means the water was not clean enough, the alligator would have sores over its body, so whoever had this alligator was definitely taking care of it.”