Video: Firefighter Fights To Keep His Pizza-Loving Pet Gator
OutdoorHub Social 07.20.16
We’re all guilty of feeding our pets things that aren’t the best for them from time to time. Pizza, for example, is a pretty universal treat amongst animal companions ranging from dogs to apparently alligators.
That’s right. What we have here is a pet alligator that enjoys a diet including delicacies such as pizza and cookies. Though these are not typically on the diet of most gators, apparently they are working fine for Gwendolyn the male gator which has grown to 13 feet in length.
Gwendolyn is owned by retired firefighter David Van Buren and the two have been together for 47 years now. They have faced many life situations together, such as going off to college, but they are currently facing one of their biggest challenges yet, that being the intervention of Florida Fish and Wildlife.
As it turns out, housing a pet gator in Florida requires a certain type of containment. It is not as simple as allowing a gator to chill out in your yard for decades. Certain guidelines must be met or animals must be relocated, but this poses a challenge in the case of this particular gator which is very used to people, likely including pizza deliverymen.
Since releasing a gator this accustomed to human contact has a laundry list of drawbacks, chances are Gwendolyn will be allowed to remain in his current home. However, more suitable accommodations are going to be necessary to make sure this hefty gator stays where he belongs instead of getting caught with his claws in the cookie jar.
