TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Orlando wildlife preserve, Gatorland revealed the new name for its rescued alligator who was found with a missing upper jaw.
“This little gator is an absolute treasure, we are so in love with her,” Gatorland President and CEO Mark McHugh said. “But another American treasure is Dolly Parton. One of the names that grew on us was a take-off of one of Dolly’s famous songs.”
“So we’re going to name this little gator Jaw-lene.”
The name is a nod to the iconic country singer’s Grammy Award-nominated song, “Jolene.”
“Thank you to everybody for all the wonderful emails and the messages, and the love, and concern for this wonderful gator — we’ll keep doing updates for you.”
Gatorland said Jawlene successfully fed on two mice without help from park officials, a major step in naturalizing the rescued alligator to its new home. McHugh said Jawlene’s upper jaw was likely taken off during a fight with another alligator or by a boat propeller.
Gatorland houses over 2,000 American Alligators across a 110-acre theme park and wildlife preserve.
