An alligator living with its mouth taped shut in a Florida neighborhood since December has finally been captured and will be relocated.
After multiple attempts to capture and relocate the alligator from a retention pond failed, authorities successfully caught it on Thursday, WFLA reported.
Rob Rowe, the southwest regional commander of Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), celebrated the alligator’s successful recovery. “We are pleased the alligator was safely relocated.”
“Our priority is public safety and the FWC administers the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program to proactively address alligator incidents in developed areas, while conserving them in areas where they naturally occur.”
GOOD NEWS! 🐊
Alligator living with its mouth taped shut since December has been captured and is being taken to a rehab facility! https://t.co/jNyuf59qw9 pic.twitter.com/uP0hnVSuEF
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) February 16, 2023
The FWC hired an alligator trapper to catch the animal. It will be transported to Gatorama Inc., an alligator farm in South Florida.
It took over two months to successfully apprehend the reptile because of “confusion caused by two different permit requests made to two different trappers by members of the public.” (RELATED: Drone Footage Captures Alligator Attack That Leads To Gruesome Injuries At Lake Thonotosassa)
One trapper was unable to catch the gator on Feb. 11 because it would retreat into the water whenever approached. However, another permit was issued to a different trapper on Feb. 12.
That trapper was able to catch the nearly 6-foot-long female alligator Thursday.
It’s unclear why the gator had its mouth taped shut. One neighbor believes a different trapper taped the gator while failing at an attempt to remove it from the neighborhood back in December.