Florida woman is fighting to keep her motorcycle-riding alligator
See ya later, alligator...unless you're a gator who lives in someone's home.
That's the case for Rambo, a 15-year-old alligator who lives in a house with Florida-based Mary Thorn. She's had him for about 11 years.
Clocking in at 125 pounds, Rambo weighs the same as a human. Oh, and he wears clothes, rides on motorcycles and has his own bedroom like a human, too.
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“Everyone will tell you that I treat that animal like a baby,” Thorn told the Orlando Sentinel in an interview. “He doesn’t do anything a normal gator does.”
Image: mary thorn/facebook
Unfortunately, Florida legislation requires alligators who have reached six feet long to reside on at least two-and-a-half acres of land. Rambo grew over this length and the state is therefore threatening removal from Thorn's care, as she has less than the legal acreage.
Thorn told the Sentinel that Rambo lived the first four years of his life trapped in a dark closet. For this reason, he has developed a sensitivity to sunlight and cannot spend too much time outside. She said this could cause an issue for Rambo if he is handed over to new ownership, as many people — perhaps wisely — do not keep alligators indoors, particularly in their homes.
In an effort to keep Rambo, Thorn has written a public Facebook post explaining why the gator should stay in her care. In it, she mentions the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who implemented the two-and-a-half acre rule.
Rambo's fate remains unclear at the moment. A Tampa-based reptile encounter attraction has offered to take him but Thorn is extremely wary due to his lifestyle and sun sensitivity.
“I know when he goes there he’s going to be really afraid and he’s probably going to pass away from stress,” Thorn told the Orlando Sentinel.
In the hopes of keeping him legally, Thorn is currently looking into getting the gator registered as a therapy animal, as he already has experience visiting schools to teach kids about reptiles.
"He loves kids and when kids come around he shuts his mouth really tight so fingers can’t go in his mouth," Thorn said.
Image: mary thorn/facebook
“Without him, I don’t feel like even wanting to go on,” she said. “Everybody is taking it pretty hard because they know how much I love the gator.”
Mashable has reached out to Mary Thorn for comment.
