"There is an alligator in my pond": this was the spectacular rescue of this animal in Toledo
A one meter alligator has appeared in a pond on a farm in Illescas (Toledo). The owners of the property were astonished when they found the exotic animal in the water, which had to be rescued by Seprona.
The owners who found the alligator in the farm's lake notified the animal protection service, which had the help of the Koki zoo staff for the “titanic” rescue. “They activated all the operatives and the necessary equipment was prepared to face this challenge,” they say from the zoo's Instagram account.
The alligator attacked one of the captors
The work was “an odyssey” and the large reptile attacked one of his captors when he tried to get him out of there. “We did not give up and after many failed attempts, dives and various capture strategies, we achieved our goal: we managed to capture the specimen, a 1-meter-long male,” they explain..
As they did not have “adequate facilities to subsequently house this species” they had the collaboration of Safari Madrid for their displacement to a safer habitat. The alligator did not have an identification chip, so its origin is being investigated. From the zoo they alert that the species is common in the “pet” market and point out that it would be an “illegal abandoned pet”.
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Agents of the #Seprona of the Civil Guard of #Illecas (Toledo), located a one-meter alligator in an irrigation raft and collaborated in its rescue.#NatureProtection pic.twitter.com/JX2N6t6i5u
– National Jucil (@jucilnacional) June 13, 2023
“We also want to remind you of the importance of thinking before acquiring an exotic animal as a pet. Each species has unique needs for its well-being. Before making the decision to have an exotic animal, research and get advice on its habitat, diet, social interactions and medical needs,” they wrote on their Instagram account along with various images of the animal.
The Jucil Association, which has shared a video of the alligator in the water, has also echoed the unusual event.