Alligator relocated from former Coca-Cola plant put on weight-loss diet

March 26 (UPI) -- An alligator found living behind a former Coca-Cola plant in Florida has been put on a diet to lose some of its over 400 pounds.

The 9-foot gator was relocated from the grounds of the former Coca-Cola plant in Temple Terrace after neighbors raised concerns about a damaged fence around the retention pond.

The alligator was taken to Croc Encounters, where veterinarians decided to put the over-400-pound reptile on a weight loss diet.

"That's a little heavy for that animal," Croc Encounters Director John Panner told WFLA-TV.

Neighbors living near the plant said some locals had been feeding the gator, which they nicknamed Coca-Cola. The goliath gator was reported served lunch meat and hams by nearby residents.

Panner said the alligator's new diet will be more well-suited to his species.

"All of our alligators get a mix of pellet diet," he said. "We'll also feed fish, we also feed chicken, we'll do that on a regular basis, and hopefully he'll slim down a bit."