This 660-pound alligator is having trouble moving his leg. UF vets are treating him

Joey Flechas
·2 min read

Bob the alligator needed to see the doctor because his rear right leg was hurt. Thankfully, the 660-pound reptile from St. Augustine has some vets nearby who are particularly welcoming to gators.

On Thursday, Bob was transported from his home at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park to the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where the 38-year-old alligator got some X-rays. Images posted to the college’s social media page show the effort required to get a medical evaluation for such a big boy.

Bob was strapped to a long wooden board, his massive jaw tied shut and eyes covered with a towel, before he was was taken to Gainesville. There, vets placed him on a gurney and wheeled him in to get some radiographs.

A first look shows Bob likely has a bone infection.

“Preliminary evaluation showed evidence of osteomyelitis,” tweeted the vet school’s official account. “Our zoo med team will continue to monitor his progress. Good luck Bob (& Go Gators!)“

The school’s zoo medical team regularly visits the park. Associate Professor Darryl Heard noticed Bob’s femur was unwell and recommended a trip to Gainesville for tests.

On Saturday, the university’s Instagram account posted a video of five people wheeling Bob in for examination, set to John Mayer’s “Gravity.”

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This 660-pound alligator from St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park came to the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine yesterday through the zoological medicine service for radiographs to assess his right rear leg for a cause for lameness. Dr. Darryl Heard, an associate professor of zoological medicine, had noticed the alligator’s femur was painful and recommended he be transported to UF for further diagnostics. The 38-year-old alligator, named Bob, was unloaded in our large animal hospital area and taken to radiology, where the necessary images were obtained. Preliminary evaluation of the radiographs showed evidence of osteomyelitis of the proximal femur. Our zoo med team, which makes regular visits to the park, will continue to monitor Bob’s progress.

A post shared by University of Florida (@uflorida) on Sep 4, 2020 at 7:00pm PDT

Commenters on both social media platforms wished Bob well and compared the visual to a scene from Jurassic Park. On Saturday evening, the university tweeted an update: Bob was responsive to zoo staff, on pain medication and set to begin antibiotic therapy soon.