The Alligator is Stressed, But Who Isn't?

The alligator found by the Monocacy Creek along Schoenersville Road on Monday night is resting and recovering in an indoor pen in Saylorsburg, an exotic animal handler said.

Gary Lee, a reptile expert from Emmaus, said the animal could be in his care for at least two or three months before he considers what its new permanent home might be – unless, of course, the animal’s owner is located or the police tell him to do otherwise.

The alligator was found by two men walking near the Bethlehem Racquetball Club at about 7 p.m. Monday. They held on to the reptile until police could arrive.

The alligator, a cold-blooded animal, could have died in the freezing cold weather, Lee said. Alligators can survive in waters as cold as 50 degrees, but not for a long period of time, Lee said.

“Reptiles get very stressed in novel situations,” Lee added. Whatever trauma the gator suffered may take a while to recover from. Right now, the animal is spending most of its time sitting fairly still in its pen, which is not necessarily unusual behavior for this animal, Lee said.

Lee has worked with reptiles for about 30 years and is one of the principals in World of Reptiles, an educational organization devoted to teaching people about reptiles.

The Bethlehem gator has not eaten since Lee took custody of it. Again, that isn’t necessarily abnormal because alligators have very slow metabolisms and don’t eat every day. However, Lee said he thinks this animal should have a little more weight.

The 2½ -foot long, seven-pound gator is about three years old. But these animals can grow to 14-feet in length and weigh more than 800 pounds. They never stop growing, though the rate of growth slows considerably as the animal ages, Lee said.