Alligator found with mouth bound, eyes covered

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    LONGWOOD, Florida (WESH) — A Longwood couple turned to social media to spread the word about an alligator they found with its mouth bound and its eyes covered.

The search is on for the person who is responsible for the abuse.

“I was horrified, I could not believe what I saw,” resident Barbara Thornton said.

Thornton was stunned at what she had seen.

“Its snout, its eyes were bound, I just couldn’t believe what I saw,” Thornton said.

The Thorntons called Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials when they saw the alligator in trouble in Sweetwater Canal, just off the Wekiva River.

A trapper measured it at about 7 feet.

“Why would anyone go to the trouble of trapping such a big gator and then just letting it go to die, fully bound, I don’t understand it,” Jack Thornton said.

“This is not a joke, this is serious business, these alligators belong on this planet,” Barbara Thornton said.

The Thorntons hope that FWC officers can come up with enough information to find the person responsible for harming the alligator.

The neighborhood is offering a $500 reward for information about the incident.

Gators can be legally hunted, but only when in season and only with an approved state license.

“The hind limbs were very tightly bound, not together, but it was so tight you could see it was squeezing the circulation,” Jack Thornton said.

“Whoever did this, shame on you,” Barbara Thornton said.

The Thorntons reached out to neighbors on social media, hoping to have as many people as possible looking out for suspicious behavior.

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