Alligator rescued after living 2 months with mouth taped shut, Florida officials say

An alligator that got national attention for surviving with its mouth taped shut has been rescued, Florida wildlife officials say.

It’s believed the alligator lived at least two months in a Brandon retention pond just east of Tampa without the ability to eat.

“After several attempts by officers and a trapper, the alligator was secured and relocated,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported Feb. 16.

Details of how the 5-foot, 7-inch reptile was cornered were not released.

It was immediately taken to a new home at Gatorama and Crocodile Adventures in Palmdale, which offered help in a Feb. 14 social media post.

The alligator’s predicament became a hotly debated topic on social media after businesswoman Amber Lock posted photos of it, launching a campaign to get the state to help.

“I need to bring attention to an animal cruelty situation going on in my Brandon, FL neighborhood,” she posted Jan. 12.

“There has been a little (3 feet?) alligator living in a fenced retention pond here for many months. ... Middle of December, neighbors discovered the gator’s snout had been taped shut! Apparently, somebody ‘officially’ attempted to ‘trap’ it and it escaped. ... I don’t need to list the reasons why this is wrong!”

Her post was eventually seen by wildlife advocates and some of the state’s best known wildlife attractions. Among them was Everglades Holiday Park, which called the situation “inhumane” in a social media post.

Neighbors in the gated community of 36 town homes did not consider the alligator to be a threat, Lock told McClatchy News.

“Everyone in the neighborhood sees it and knows it,” she said.

“Once we noticed its mouth was taped shut, we made phone calls for help. When a month passed and nothing happened, I put a post on Facebook.”

Lock took to social media again Thursday to report the alligator — now known as Georgie — had been coaxed out of a drain and captured.

“I made a vow to that little gator and myself that I wouldn’t shut up until it was freed from that tape,” Lock said. “Georgie can speak for herself now.”

Gatorama reports the alligator is “doing fine,” despite enduring months of discomfort. She was released at the farm in an enclosed “earthen pond,” officials said.

“Please don’t worry about her ability to live a long happy life here at Gatorama,” the site wrote in a Facebook post. “We will take good care of her.”

Adult alligators have been known to go more than two years between meals, and the effort is made easier in colder months, when their metabolism slows, experts say.

This story was originally published February 17, 2023 at 7:29 AM with the headline "Alligator rescued after living 2 months with mouth taped shut, Florida officials say."