In the early morning of March 2, the Wildlife Center admitted an American Alligator [Patient #10-0111].  The alligator had been captured in Staunton and was brought to the Center by Staunton Animal Control.

Center veterinary staff did a complete medical evaluation of the alligator, including radiographs and blood tests, and found that it was in good shape.  The alligator, reportedly seven years old, weighs just under eight pounds — small for its age.

The alligator has been housed in a variety of pens in the Center’s reptile room.  It has been fed herrings.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has arranged for this alligator to be transferred to the Luray Zoo and Reptile Center — a rescue facility that specializes in providing a home for unwanted, abused and confiscated exotic animals.