Freddy has been at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary longer than any other animal ambassador! A boy found Freddy’s egg in 1983 and hatched it prematurely, which caused her to suffer developmental and cognitive defects.
Freddy can only open her mouth about 4 inches and can’t catch her own food. She’s also smaller than other alligators her age — she should be anywhere from 8-10 ft. long but is only about 6'7.
Florida is the only place in the nation where you can find both alligators and crocodiles. There are over one million alligators in Florida, often found in freshwater lakes, ponds, and canals. Alligators are generally afraid of people as long as they are left alone. Most problems occur when people feed alligators, which is illegal. It only takes one instance for an alligator to associate people as food sources, which is dangerous for both people and the alligators.
