Alligator seen with knife stuck between its eyes is euthanized, Florida officials say

An alligator that gained notoriety on social media for having a knife in its head has been captured and euthanized, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

It was found in a small pond in the Deltona area of Volusia County, about 30 miles north of Orlando.

A photo posted July 28 on a Deltona community Facebook page showed the alligator was living with a large, black-handled knife embedded between its eyes.

It’s not clear how the alligator continued to survive, but state officials decided to take action on the act of cruelty.

“The alligator was captured Sunday, July 31, by a contracted nuisance alligator trapper,” wildlife officials told McClatchy News in an email. “Due to the injury to the alligator’s head, it was humanely euthanized.”

The alligator measured 4 feet, 9 inches, which amounts to a juvenile in a state where the record is 14 feet, 3.5 inches.

Amanda Leigh of the Deltona was the first to post a photo of the alligator, and reported it was behind a Subway restaurant on Providence Boulevard off Doyle Road in Deltona. The knife was impacting the alligator’s left eye, which was forced closed by the blade, she said.

“A lot of people enjoy sitting & watching this little guy,” Leigh wrote. “No happy ending here. ... The knife did come out though as they were catching him.”

It remains unclear who stabbed the alligator, but the act prompted outrage on social media.

“I hope the person or persons responsible are found and put away,” one commenter wrote.

“I’m sickened by this,” another posted.

There are alligators in all 67 Florida counties and the reptiles are protected by a state statute that makes it “illegal to intentionally kill, injure, possess, or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture an alligator.”

Only trappers authorized by the state are allowed to capture and humanely euthanize alligators deemed a nuisance or threat, FWC officials say.

This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Alligator seen with knife stuck between its eyes is euthanized, Florida officials say."