Massive Alligator In Florida Tied To Tree With Snout Taped Shut, Video Shows

A giant alligator was found tied to a tree in Florida Thursday, its snout wound shut with duct tape. The nine-foot-long animal was spotted by residents near a canal behind an apartment building in Kendall, a Miami-Dade County neighborhood.

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Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said the alligator was injured from the duct tape.

“Unfortunately, whoever did this tied the alligator up incorrectly, causing some damage to the skin, stressing the alligator out,” FWC officer Lorenzo Veloz told NBC's affiliate in Miami.

Officials also said that due to the size of the animal, more than one person was likely responsible.

“It’s extremely dangerous. It really is. Tied up to a tree is something that we don’t see every day,” Veloz said. “This is not a one-person operation. Usually, an alligator that’s nine feet long takes about two or three people to really corral, especially if it’s not tied up.”

Witnesses told local news reporters that the alligator had been spotted before, eating small animals in the neighborhood.

Fish and wildlife officials were able to take the animal to a gator farm where it would be able to recover from its injuries before being released back into the wild. Because alligators are a protected species and illegally trapping alligators is a crime, the culprits could be subject to criminal charges once found.

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The start of mating season combined with warmer weather means alligators are becoming more visible throughout Florida. Officials told local media Thursday that this time of year is when alligator trappers get the most calls about alligators being a nuisance in neighborhoods.

“They are cold-blooded animals,” Karina Paner, an alligator trapper and director at Croc Encounters, told the Fox affiliate in Tampa. “Once it starts warming up, their bodies start warming up, and they start traveling.”