Gator with bungee-corded jaw rescued, relocated to Gatorland

[Disney4me]

Gatorland’s latest rescue animal is a 9-foot alligator found near Gainesville with a bungee cord wrapped around his upper jaw.

The reptile was captured by a trapper and delivered to the Orlando attraction, which will be his new home. His new name: Bungee.

“Someone tried to catch this alligator with a bungee cord, which became deeply imbedded in his top jaw.  This was an extremely dangerous situation for Bungee and could have eventually killed him, Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, said in a news release.

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“People were illegally feeding him and he came right up out of the water to take food from the trapper,” McHugh said. The animal had been seen for months at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.

The cord was removed, and the animal received medical care before joining the other gators at Gatorland. Bungee weighs 200 pounds and is estimated to be 25 years old.

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He is one of more than 100 rescue alligators at the attraction. Conservation falls under the perview of Gatorland Global, a nonprofit organization with a local and international reach.

The Gatorland crew helps put Bungee, a 9-foot alligator, into the water of the Orange Blossom Trail attraction. (Carolyn Hinton-Hutchins/Gatorland)

“We are incredibly grateful to [trapper] Ron Sanderson for his months of hard work to catch Bungee and bring him to us,” McHugh said. “That’s what Gatorland Global is all about.  It’s passionately engaging in alligator and crocodile conservation and teaching others how important these animals are to our animal kingdom.”

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