Bad-Boy Alligator Booted from Lagoon at Australian Reptile Park

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: October 21, 2021 1:00 am

Zookeepers at the Australian Reptile Park work to capture Kanye the American alligator from the lagoon at the Australian Reptile Park

Photo Credit: The Australian Reptile Park

Keepers at the Australian Reptile Park have taken action to remove a rogue American alligator which was beginning to cause trouble for keepers and other alligators in the park's lagoon.

Kanye the American alligator was one of twenty crocodilians which took up residence in the lagoon after moving from Australia Zoo in March 2021. The warming weather of spring has brought out hostile behaviors in the young alligator.

Spring also means breeding season and Kanye has been acting aggressively towards the other 54 alligators in the lagoon along with charging keepers.

Australian Reptile Park Director, Tim Faulkner explains “Ours is normally a very quiet lagoon, with no major altercations taking place. We even saw this earlier this year when we added the additional 20 males to our lagoon. However, Kanye has come out of hibernation explosive, therefore, a danger to himself, to the other alligators and staff.” he said.

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“Kanye has made the other alligators very tense. He’s a young bloke, full of testosterone and he’s raising havoc right now, so the best thing to do is to send him to the naughty corner for some quiet time out."

It's no easy task to move an American alligator weighing up to 400kg (882lbs). They aslo have one the strongest bite pressures as Tim explained, "American alligators have one of the strongest jaw pressures of any animal and one bite can be life-threatening, so our amazing team had to take extreme care during the removal.”

A highly skilled team of over a dozen keepers worked to move the alligator. He was taken to an off-display area where he can cool down alone and will hopefully return to the lagoon after breeding season when his hormone levels return to normal,

The Australian Reptile Park provide a home for the largest group of American alligators in Australia.