ORLANDO, Fla. — Jawlene, the rescued alligator with a missing upper jaw, has made her public debut at Gatorland.
What You Need To Know
- Gatorland's Jawlene has made her public debut at the park
- The gator, which is missing her top jaw, can be seen in the Baby Gator Marsh
- After being rescued and brought to Gatorland, Jawlene has spent the last few month backstage receiving treatment
After spending months receiving care in a backstage area of the park, Jawlene has been put in the Baby Gator Marsh enclosure, where visitors can see her, according to a post on Gatorland’s Facebook page.
The small gator arrived at Gatorland in September after a trapper rescued her from a lake near Sanford. She was malnourished and underweight. Later that month, the park announced it had named her Jawlene—a play on the popular Dolly Parton song, “Jolene.”
In the months since her arrival, Gatorland has shared updates on Jawlene’s recovery, including the first time she was able to eat on her own.
“Our team of gator experts worked hard to create a quiet place for her to relax in her new home and began teaching her how to eat and take food from us,” the park wrote in the post.
Gatorland, the “Alligator Capital of the World,” is also home to crocodiles, snakes, birds and other wild animals.
For more information, visit gatorland.com.