An alligator has been living with its mouth taped shut for months in a retention pond. A local wanted to save the animal but was having a hard time making progress.
Alligator With Mouth Taped Shut For Months
Amber Lock, a resident from Hillsborough County, told FOX13 that the gator's mouth has been taped shut since December when a trapper attempted to remove it from the pond. However, Lock believed that the attempt to trap the beast didn't succeed and the person probably lost the gator, leaving it with his mouth still taped shut for two months already.
Lock said she had contacted several groups in an attempt to help the predator. However, she had a hard time finding help due to the required permits.
She said she tried to expedite the process while trying to point out to everyone the urgency of the matter. Unfortunately, she felt that there was no traction.
Lock said living with its mouth taped shut for two months was unacceptable.
Can Taping Alligator's Mouth Affect Their Health?
Martha Rivera of Everglades Outpost Sanctuary, a wildlife expert, weighed in on how living with a mouth taped shut could affect the alligator's health. The expert told the outlet that it could jeopardize the gator physically and it could lose body mass and may get dehydrated.
She added that the gator was in a retention pond, so the trapper that went out there with the gator should not have left it with the tape still on its mouth. She added that the tape could mess up their skin.
Rivera explained that alligator's mouths are usually taped shut for safety when transporting them. However, it wasn't meant to be on long-term as what happened to the gator in this story, which has been living with tape on its mouth for two months and counting.
Rivera supported Lock's intention to help the alligator, saying someone had to go back to the retention center and get the alligator because it was inhumane to just leave the gator that way.
Lock said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is already involved.
Another Alligator Found With Electrical Tape Around Its Mouth
A four-foot female alligator was spotted at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco on Christmas Eve, according to Superintendent Javier De Leon. The gator had electrical tape around its mouth.
Jake Reinbolt, the alligator specialist with the sanctuary, paddled out to the refuge's Alligator Lake, snatched the alligator out of the water, and brought it on land to remove the tape, KRVG reported.
After finally removing the tape, Reinbolt said he noticed sores on the alligator. There were missing teeth and indentations around the reptile's face due to the tape.
He also noticed wood chips and a foreign material lodged inside the gator's mouth, which convinced him that whoever did it to the gator had ill intentions.
Reibolt was able to remove the entire roll of duct tape. Based on his estimate, the alligator's mouth was tied for three to six months.
He added that there were signs of growth and the skull underneath the tape was deformed, suggesting that it had been put on long enough for the gator to grow.
Alligators survive such tormenting treatment because they are resilient and can go for long periods without eating. However, the ordeal affects their growth and overall health.
RELATED ARTICLE: Massive 10-Foot Alligator Walks in a Neighborhood in Florida on Easter Sunday as Mating Season Begins [Watch]
Check out more news and information on Alligators in Science Times.
