An alligator with a missing upper jaw has been captured after weeks of searching and is set to be treated at a facility.
Photos of the injured reptile circulated on social media after a Seminole County woman reached out to several wildlife departments to try to help the alligator after she spotted it at Wilson’s Landing Park in Sanford. Wildlife experts expressed concern after they discovered posts of the injured creature.
Kimberly Titterington, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator with over three decades of experience, has encountered numerous alligators during her career but never one like this. She described the situation as “very extreme,” emphasizing that while it’s not uncommon to see alligators with various injuries, the extent of this particular damage is highly unusual.
According to Bear Warriors United, a non-profit wildlife organization, alligator trappers Jerry and Chase Flynn captured the jaw-less creature, Thursday evening.
Officials with the organization said the injury found on the alligator was caused by a snare trap in a failed poaching attempt. They are now working to get the traps banned in Florida.
The reptilic creature is scheduled to be taken to a care facility on Friday.
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