‘A little bit on the weak side’: Tiny alligator rescued from Charles River treated for pneumonia

BOSTON — At New England Wildlife Center, Greg Mertz is closely examining the tiny alligator recovered Wednesday night from the Charles River.

The gator, now called Charles for the River where it was found, became something of a local internet sensation when video of the animal hit the net.

Now in Weymouth, Charles is given a check-up, and it looks like Charles is sick. The gator will be treated with antibiotics.

“He’s a little bit on the weak side,” said Greg Mertz at the NE Wildlife Center. “Overall, we think this guy has a respiratory infection.”

“It was just hanging out. It was really cold. It wasn’t moving around too much. I just scooped it up,”

Joe Kenney of Joe’s Crazzy Critters used a strong flashlight to find Charles on Wednesday night.

“It was just hanging out. It was really cold. It wasn’t moving around too much. I just scooped it up,” Kenney said.

Charles was sitting at the bottom of the river, in 18 inches of water, where it was trying to keep warm. The gator’s coloring gave him away.

“How much longer could he have survived out there?” I asked Kenney.

“My initial thought when I was going out there was I was not going to find a living alligator,” he said.

It’s illegal to privately own an alligator in Massachusetts, and it’s thought someone dumped Charles close to where they found him.

Looking forward, Joe hopes Charles will live to become an animal ambassador, and at New England Wildlife Center, they hope Charles will teach a valuable lesson.

“Not every and any animal is a pet animal. Alligators are just not pet animals; they need to be in the wild,” Greg Mertz said.

If Charles survives, Joe Kenney hopes to use the gator as an animal ambassador until it grows too large to remain in his care.

Ultimately, it is hoped Charles will live out its life in a wild animal sanctuary.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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