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‘Jawlene’ recovering at Gatorland in Orlando despite missing jaw

Alligator missing her upper jaw has begun to regain weight and confidence, handler says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Gatorland says all is going well with the recovery efforts of a jawless gator who has captured worldwide attention.

“It’s alright, it’s alright... so she gets a little bratty sometimes,” Savannah Boan joked as she was holding Jawlene, saying the gator was making progress despite the obvious challenge.

Boan said, “We just don’t handle her a lot because stress is just bad on any reptile, but especially alligators and injured ones...and the only thing she knows about people is what happened to her face.”

Jawlene, who is named after Dolly Parton’s popular song Jolene, was rescued back in September in Sanford.

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The gator is missing it’s upper jaw, and at this time, it’s still unclear how she got her injury, but Boan says she is adjusting.

“She has a hole. Like, if you cut your nose off, you just have holes there, so she has taught herself to bring her tongue up and cover the hole before she goes underwater,” said Boan.

Boan said that since Jawlene has been at Gatorland, she has gained weight and confidence, but Boan added there have still been some challenges.

“The biggest challenge has been getting her to eat,” said Boan. “Like, once we get her eating, now she comes over, so now she knows when I drain the pool, she is going to eat that day, so she gets real excited when I go back there, and she swims over to us.”

Gatorland said Jawlene has gained supporters all over the world, many of whom were curious about her recovery.

Boan said this has created a unique opportunity to educate about the beauty of gators, as well as their resilience.

“It’s very difficult to get people around the idea of protecting an animal that can kill you, right? And I think Jawlene has been the supreme example of how strong they can be,” said Boan.

Going forward, Jawlene still has a way to go before she can be introduced to the public, but in the meantime, Gatorland is extending a warm welcome for her big sister.

Boan said, “Yeah, if anyone knows Dolly Parton, tell her to come see her little sister here.”

Gatorland does have funding already set up for Jawlene’s care but said they do accept donations. You can find that information on Gatorland’s website.

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