Family Finds Alligators With Snouts, Eyes Taped Shut In Florida

A reward of $1,500 is being offered for information regarding the alligators that had their snouts and eyes duct-taped closed in Florida, according to WKMG.

Barbara and Jack Thornton told reporters this week that they took pictures of a gator swimming near the shore in their Seminole County backyard. That's when they made the shocking discovery.

"I look down and I saw a 6-foot gator it looked like, and its mouth and its eyes were taped with black duct tape,” Barbara Thornton said. “Somebody is taping the mouths. Someone is taping the eyes." They contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and rangers removed the gators from the water.

"The FWC ranger did say that the gator looked healthy, so we think it was fairly recently," she added. But this isn't the first time they spotted gators constricted by tapes.

"This is the third gator that has been found like this. So, there was another one a month ago. There was another one back there on the spring’s side about a year ago. I don’t know who’s doing this," Jack Thornton said. "It is exceptionally cruel. It’s either motivated by sadism or pure incompetence without regard for motivation. It’s a behavior that needs to be corrected."

Gatorland then told WKMG that they added $1,000 to find the culprit behind these acts. Anyone who knows anything about the incident is urged to call FWC.

Photo: Getty Images


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