March 18, 2016
Meet Rambo, a gentle alligator whose Florida owner says he "eats at the
dinner table, sleeps in my bed and follows me around like my dogs."
But now his owner, 55-year-old Mary Thorn, is fighting to keep him since
she was recently denied a permit for the 125-pound gator.
Thorn told ABC News today that she's had a permit to keep the
15-year-old alligator ever since she rescued and brought him home more
than seven years ago, when Rambo was just a little over a foot long.
However, the gator has since grown to be over 6 feet long, and a recently added condition for a permit says that gators
over 6 feet need to be kept on a property with at least 2.5 acres of
land, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) spokesman Gary Morse.
"This is a very complex case, especially since she acquired the gator
before some changes in permit conditions," Morse told ABC News today. He
explained that Thorn had reapplied for a permit earlier this year and
was originally denied -- but a number of issues have since been raised,
so the case is now in the process of being reviewed.
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Mary Thorn
Meanwhile, Thorn still has Rambo and is rallying community support for the gator she calls her "second son."
She explained that Rambo is a local celebrity and has been the star of
small shows Thorn has put on for a few charities and organizations in
her area. The "trained" gator has been photographed "riding an ATV" and
along with her on her motorcycle, she said.
Mary Thorn
"He is not a normal gator," Thorn said. "He doesn't bite. When I first
got him, I trained him to keep [his snout] tight shut whenever people
are around, especially children."
Thorn added that Rambo "loves being pet, and you can pet his mouth and neck and he won't dare to snap at you."
Mary Thorn
The gator also often wear clothes -- but "not just to look cute," Thorn
explained. She said she was told Rambo had originally been trapped in a
small tank in a dark closet without sunlight before she rescued him, so
he has to wear clothes when he goes outdoors because his skin "is very
sensitive to sunlight."
Mary Thorn
The self-proclaimed "gator momma" said she doesn't believe in taking
wild alligators from their natural habitat, but because Rambo had come
to her under unique conditions, he needs to stay domesticated.
Mary Thorn
"He's too weak, and if he's put out in the wild or in a place with other
gators, they'll kill him," she said. "He's also scared of outdoor
noises, and he's just used to being home with me. This is where he's
been his whole life and he's attached to me."
Thorn added that Rambo plays with her other dogs at home, goes to the
fridge when he's hungry and even watches TV with her on the couch.
Mary Thorn
"He's my best friend, my second son," she said. "I don't want to lose him."
Mary Thorn 
