A pet alligator was rescued in southeastern Pennsylvania after landscapers working near a creek in Exeter Township discovered it, authorities said.
The Animal Rescue League of Berks County (ARL) told USA TODAY that they first learned about the female alligator, named Fluffy, through the Exeter Police Department which received the alligator from the landscaper that discovered her. The discovery was startling as alligators and crocodiles aren’t typically found in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
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They took the animal to their shelter, where a reptile expert from The Venom Institute examined the alligator and found that she was underweight and showing signs of deformity around her mouth, “most likely caused by being housed in an inappropriately sized enclosure.”
‘Deplorable’ condition
Founder of the Venom Institute, Rudy Arceo told CNN that Fluffy’s owner had kept her in a 75-gallon aquarium for almost 10 years, which was “shocking” because 10-year-old alligators are “supposed to be a lot bigger than that.”
Arceo said that the alligator was only about 2.5 feet long when it was found when she should be “six feet, if not bigger.”
“I would definitely have to say this is probably ranking at one of the worst that I’ve personally seen, as far as a living animal is concerned,” Arceo told CNN.
He expressed that the reptile’s state was “really deplorable,” and that its snout curled upwards and its teeth appeared to be horizontal rather than vertical.
“(It) was a clear sign of a multitude of things – improper diet, possibly even lack of UVB lighting, and the most important is enclosure size,” Arceo shared.
The ARL said that the alligator’s owner later retrieved their pet, telling the rescue league that she went missing from an outdoor enclosure during the flash floods which hit the area a few weeks prior.
The animal rescue organization said that officers remain in contact with Fluffy’s owner, providing wellness checks to monitor her condition, ensuring that she is receiving the required care.
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