Alligator Found In Basement Had Been Abused

An alligator found in a basement had been abused.

An almost seven foot long alligator has been found in the basement of a home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Normally you expect to find such reptiles to be hanging out and basking in the swampy sun, but not this one.

In fact, the alligator would have been better off had he been left outside, as the lack of sun and malnourishment had left him with a severe bone disease. The reptile had been kept in said basement for 15 years, and captivity had actually stunted his growth. The alligator was of the variety that should have grown to be around 10 feet from nose to tail.

The Humane Society of Greater Dayton confiscated the alligator found in the basement after a video was posted on Facebook of the reptile being taunted. In the video, some young men are seen throwing beer on the alligator and laughing as the reptile jerked back in surprise and bit the edge of the hard plastic tub where he had been kept apparently all his life.

Sheila Marquis, cruelty investigator for the Humane Society of Greater Dayton, has investigated the activity around the alligator and plans to charge both the young men in the video and the owner of the house with animal cruelty. The owner of the house had left the back door open so teenagers could go in and see the alligator.

Rumors had flown about for two years beforehand that there was an alligator in the basement, but police could do nothing about the matter without probable cause. The probable cause was recently posted on Facebook in said video.

The video did not show the alligator found in the basement to have been physically abused, but there were tooth marks on the concrete wall next to where he had been kept. The reptile was discovered to have several broken, missing, or infected teeth from his captivity.

Tim Harrison, director of Dayton-based Outreach For Animals, helped remove the alligator from the basement. He lamented the treatment of the reptile, “When we brought him out in to the sun, he actually just closed his eyes for a long time. It was really sad.” He says the alligator is being sent to a special retreat in Florida where the alligator will be left in a swampy preserve and allowed to live his life as well as he can.

What do you think about the alligator found in the basement and abused?