SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. -- A 14-foot, nearly 500-pound American crocodile living in a South Miami neighborhood was removed from a canal Tuesday.

Neighbors said the reptile had been living in the canal for two years, eating ducks and laying out in the sun on a concrete slab.

Trapper Todd Hardwick was sent out by the state Tuesday to remove the crocodile after numerous complaints by concerned neighbors.

"This is a good sign that the croc population is recovering," said Hardwick. "He's very far from the coastline."

American crocodiles, once on the endangered list, are now classified as threatened, meaning they can’t be destroyed. The crocodile will be taken to Gatorland in Orlando on Wednesday morning.

Experts told Local 10 that nobody in the state of Florida has ever been bitten by an American crocodile. However, Hardwick said if the crocodile were released back into the wild, it would return to the same neighborhood because of the food.

"This is about as much weight as you can put on a 10-plus-foot crocodile," said Hardwick. "He's been eating really well."

Henry Rodriguez lives at the home where the crocodile was caught and assisted Hardwick in its capture. Rodriguez said he enjoyed having the crocodile around and is happy that the crocodile will survive.

"God's creatures, you know," he said. "We invade their territory. The least we can do is put them somewhere else."