Animals eating human-made trash isn’t an issue contained to our oceans.
It’s also happening right here in the lakes and waterways of Florida.
That became quite visually obvious after an alligator was videoed chewing on a plastic bag in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Crawfordville, Florida.
The park added that the gator likely thought the bag contained something edible.
"This is a strong reminder to please secure your trash when you carry it home with you," the park said. "Help protect our wildlife. Please keep an eye out for a gator in distress or one trailing a rope or string."
The person that captured the video of the reptile, Corine Samwel, taped the gator approaching the bag slowly before attempting to eat it.
They added that when the gator turned back to go into the water, it seemed to be trailing some kind of string from its mouth.
Mobile users see video here.
"When the gator goes back to the water a rope is hanging out of its mouth," Samwel wrote on Facebook.
"Please people, do not use single use plastic and do not litter!," he continued. "I then picked up about five plastic bottles, ten beer cans, cigarette butts, surgical gloves, bike gloves, a rope, and all sorts of stuff."
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