Video of ‘scary’ 3-legged Florida alligator inspires social media. ‘One strong soul’
Alligators in Florida swamps typically inspire fear and awe, but one near Lake Okeechobee is being called an inspiration after video showed it struggling to walk on three legs.
The trail camera video, recorded by wildlife photographer Bobby Wummer, shows a 6-foot alligator missing one of its front legs — a disability that forces it to lean against the ground when walking.
Yet it keeps going, falling on its belly with every step.
“This alligator obviously had a fight with another alligator and lost its right front limb. But even with this alligator missing it’s right front leg he is vigilant to survive and will,” Wummer wrote in an Instagram post.
“This guy here was quite a ways from his waterhole and managing just fine. They are truly last of the the dinosaurs and they are tough creatures.”
His video has been viewed more than 122,000 times on Instagram and 16,000 times on Facebook, racking up hundreds of reactions and comments.
Many have noted the injury is a sign of how brutal life is for the state’s alligators, while others see “one strong soul” that is symbolic of perseverance in tough times.
“How is it depressing? It is the continuing story of strength and perseverance for this guy,” Treigh Imsand wrote on Facebook.
“He is still scary,” Joann Turley wrote.
“Most likely he got his limb twisted off in a battle with a bigger bull. However for him to reach that size he is now says that he is a survivor,” Scott Gunnoe wrote.
Several people also noted the alligator is likely agile in water and has no problem catching prey.
American alligators can top 14 feet in length and weigh more than 1,000 pounds in Florida, the state says.
It’s not uncommon to see alligators with a missing leg — or missing part of their tail — in Florida’s swamps and marshes. Experts say the disabilities are often the result of fights among bulls over turf or mates.
Among the better known of the state’s three-legged gators is one some call “Stumpy” at the 1,267-acre Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County. It is missing one back foot and part of its tail.
Wummer, who is based in Palm Beach Gardens, says he has seen “many” alligators with the injury during his work documenting animals in the wild.
“The alligators with missing limbs that I have seen in the field ... have all healed over and the gators were extremely fat and healthy. And (they) having no problems getting around walking on land,” he wrote on Instagram.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 7:39 AM with the headline "Video of ‘scary’ 3-legged Florida alligator inspires social media. ‘One strong soul’."