TAMPA, Fla. — A 9-foot alligator nicknamed Coca-Cola has a new home after neighbors became worried about the gator and its safety.
Locals named him "Coca-Cola" because he lived in a retention pond behind a Coca-Cola plant for years.
The pond is located near North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue in Tampa.
"Somebody in the community had reached out to us telling us there's this alligator in this retention pond. It's a difficult situation. They asked us for advice," said John Paner with Croc Encounters.
Neighbors living in a Temple Terrace neighborhood became concerned when the retention pond dried up, so someone cut a hole in the fence surrounding the pond maybe hoping the gator would escape.
A wildlife trapper caught the alligator last week and brought it to Croc Encounters, a sanctuary that rescues reptiles and gives tours.
"I heard stories of him getting lunch meat every day, chickens, someone said whole hams were being thrown to him, not really the best diet for an alligator," said Paner.
John Paner with Croc Encounters said the alligator weighs anywhere between 450 pounds to 500 pounds. He said the alligator was likely being fed and lost his fear of people.
"Wild alligators are normally very slender. They got to work for their food and they don't typically eat a lot," he said.
Paner said the gator is now being fed a diet more appropriate for a reptile and he's adjusting well to his new home.
"You really need to be responsible around wildlife. It's usually safe living around an alligator, but that does change when people feed them. Enjoy them from a distance, don't try to hurt them, don't try to catch them, don't try to feed them," said Paner.
Paner said Coca-Cola will be moving into a new enclosure hopefully by July.
"In the near future, he's moving out to another pond. We actually have an enclosure that's about a half of an acre and most of those alligators are moving," he said.
People may book tours to visit the sanctuary. For more information visit: https://www.crocencounters.com/
