Elderly and ‘severely arthritic’ alligator somehow manages three-day escape from zoo

Rex the alligator has lived at the zoo for 35 years

Rex the alligator was found after three days’ search at Doc’s Zoo in Shawano County (Facebook Doc’s Zoo)

An elderly and overweight alligator with severe arthritis has stunned his zoo’s owner by pulling off a three-day escapade after breaking out from his enclosure.

An extensive search was launched in Shawano County, Wisconsin after the “very docile” alligator, Rex, managed to escape from Doc’s Zoo on Saturday morning, owner of the zoo Steve “Doc” Hopkins said in a Facebook post.

“The only thing I can think is maybe he was pumping iron all during Covid or something and planned his escape. I don’t know,” Mr Hopkins told WLUK.

Rex returned home safely after he was found on Monday evening having not left the zoo complex.

“Rex the alligator is home safe! He was found by Doc’s son, Steve in the swampy wooded area on the Doc’s complex just before 5pm tonight,” the update from the zoo said. “What an adventure he must’ve had,” the zoo owner said.

Mr Hopkins, who had Rex for 35 years, said he was “heartbroken” with his disappearance and appealed to the public not to hurt or fear the reptile if found, saying the alligator is completely harmless as a result of its arthritis.

“He’s typically very docile & is not a danger to the public,” the Facebook post read.

“The old gator is very unathletic and quite overweight,” he said. “He can barely open his jaws. He has terrible arthritis in his jaws. If he can open up his jaws an inch and a half, it’s a lot....The most he could do is probably slap you with his tail and that is only if you get close and upset him.”

He said he has no idea how the gator managed to pull off the escape as there were “no signs of enclosure being breached in any way or the gator digging underneath or anything.”

“It’s just very strange. This has never happened before,” Mr Hopkins said.