A 38-year-old alligator named Bob is on the mend thanks to a team of veterinarians at the University of Florida.
Bob was taken last week from his home at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park for an evaluation in Gainesville. His right rear leg had been hurting and the 660-pound (299-kilogram) reptile needed a medical exam.
It took quite the effort to move Bob from St. Augustine to Gainesville. Staff at the alligator farm strapped the gator to a long wooden board, tied his jaws shut and covered his eyes with a towel.
Once Bob arrived at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine,he was put on a gurney and taken for radiographs.
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The veterinary school tweeted that the gator's right rear leg is being assessed for a cause of lameness, and the preliminary evaluation showed evidence of the bone infection called osteomyelitis. The school's zoo medical team will continue to monitor the gator's progress.
