ECORSE, Mich. – An alligator named “Darth Gator” discovered in Ecorse charged its rescuer and went after his legs three times.
The four-foot-long alligator was found near a known drug house, police said. Mark Rosenthal, of Animal Magic, said the gator has been named for his aggressive behavior.
“He’s never gonna be friendly,” said Rosenthal as he held the squirming gator in his arms. “I thought about naming this one ‘Darth Gator’ because he’s mean. Gators are not friendly, but when I took him out of that crate, he went to bite.”
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Rosenthal said when he rescues scared alligators, they “usually run forward 99% of the time.”
“This crazy little Darth Gator turned and charged me and went after my legs three times in a row,” Rosenthal said. “I’ve never had one actually try to attack me before. So if he was abused, I don’t blame him.“
This gator wasn’t the first one rescued from the same alleged drug house. Rosenthal said police called he and his wife to the home in November. The gator from that call was twice as big.
Rosenthal is frustrated finding beautiful animals like Darth Gator in bad shape, and hopes to remind everyone that they’re not pets.
He said the plan is to keep the gator for a year or so, using it for educational programs before relocating it to a licensed sanctuary in Florida.
“We’ll raise him up, we’ll heal him, and we’ll use him in educational shows,” Rosenthal said. “But at some point, he’s going to get too big for me to handle.”
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Rosenthal has been rescuing animals -- including lions, bears, cougars, and more -- for about 45 years. He estimates Darth Gator is about 4 years old, based on his size, but he’s expected to grow up to 1,000 pounds.
Rosenthal said he and his fully licensed team are there to help -- free of charge.
“We never charge for a rescue,” Rosenthal said. “The money comes out of our pocket. But we get more calls for gators than everything else.”
Rosenthal said that’s because people are looking for clout.
“They want prestige,” Rosenthal said. “The bad people, they want to be known as, ‘Hey, look what I got.’”
Rosenthal said even police sometimes don’t know what to do.
If you need to reach Animal Magic, call 313-819-5719, email iwantanimalmagic@aol.com, or visit iwantanimalmagic.com.
