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Journalism of Courage
A tailless alligator crawling across a road in southern Louisiana is grabbing eyeballs on the Internet, with many viewers initially mistaking the unusual sight for a large dog.
The video, recorded and shared on Facebook by Ashlyn Bartholomew, shows the alligator slowly making its way across Highway 23 in Plaquemines Parish. Bartholomew, who had just dropped her kids off at baseball practice, said she wasn’t sure what she was looking at at first. “I wasn’t sure if it was an alligator or a big dog,” she told local news.
In the now-viral video, her surprise is audible as she exclaims, “What?” while watching the tailless reptile awkwardly move across the road. Sharing the video on Facebook, she captioned it with a warning, “Y’all be careful. There’s half an alligator walking on the road.”
According to local reports, Robert Mendyk, a reptile expert at the Audubon Zoo, explained that the gator likely lost its tail in a violent fight with another alligator. He also said that such injuries are not uncommon and that alligators are surprisingly resilient, often surviving significant amputations like this one.
Watch the video here:
Several social media users expressed distress over the injured alligator, with one saying, “So sad!!! Looked hurt. Can a non-kill rescue service help him?” Another user commented, “Awww please leave him alone poor guy.”
“I feel very bad for it. Not a fan of alligators, but I don’t like seeing any animal hurt or in pain,” a third user reacted.
Early this month, renowned French wildlife photographer Lucas Cottereau, known for documenting reptiles around the world, captured a wild American alligator completely missing its upper jaw, in Florida’s Everglades.
In a series of striking photos and videos shared on Instagram, the alligator is seen moving calmly both on land and through the water. With only its lower jaw remaining, teeth fully exposed and perfectly aligned, the image stunned several social media users.
