Gatorland’s latest rescue animal is a 9-foot crocodile found near Gainesville, with a bungee cord wrapped around his upper jaw.
The reptile was captured by the Trapper and delivered to an attraction in Orlando, which will become his new home. His new name: Bungee.
“Someone tried to catch this crocodile with a bungee cord. It was embedded deep inside his top jaw. This was a very dangerous situation for Bungee and he was able to kill him in the end, Gatorland president and CEO Mark McHugh said in a news release.
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“People were feeding him illegally, so he came out of the water to get food from the trapper,” McHugh said. The animal was seen for several months at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.
The cord was removed and the animals received medical care before joining other gators in Gatorland. The bungee weighs 200 pounds and is estimated to be 25 years old.
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He is one of more than 100 rescue crocodiles of charm. The protection falls within the existence of Gatorland Global, a nonprofit organization with local and international reach.
“We are very grateful to (trapper) Ron Sanderson for his struggles over the past few months to catch the bungee and take us,” McHugh said. “That’s what Gatorland Global is all about, being passionately involved in the conservation of alligators and crocodiles and telling others how important these animals are to our animal kingdom.”
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