ORLANDO, Fla. — The largest alligator in Gatorland’s history has died.

Buddy, who measured about 13 feet, 8 inches long and weighed nearly half a ton, had been in failing health for a while, according to an announcement on Gatorland’s social media accounts. The animal was under veterinary care, the post said.

“He was on and off medication, getting extra vitamins and we did everything we could to keep him comfortable,” it said. “Those cold snaps this year certainly didn’t make things any easier on him. Our team here at Gatorland would find him early every morning to make sure he was OK.”

Gatorland officials estimate that Buddy was between 60 and 70 years old and was born at the attraction, which opened in 1949.

“Recordkeeping of animals wasn’t a big to-do way back when,” Brandon Fisher, director of media relations, said Wednesday.

“He was definitely a gentle giant,” said Fisher, a 20-year Gatorland veteran. “But if he didn’t like your ways, he let it be known.”

Gatorland, located on South Orange Blossom Trail, is home to thousands of reptiles, including some that live in a breeding marsh. The population is a combination of natives to the park and rescued animals from elsewhere.

Typically, Buddy stayed in the north end of the breeding marsh, near the attraction’s train station.

“Each male has their own little territory. They let in who they want to let in,” Fisher said. “Of course, he had his girlfriends over the years allowed in there, and from time to time, he let certain males in there.”

Buddy’s size made him a draw, Fisher said.

“We used to joke around that he looked like a Buick swimming in the water,” he said. “Guests always loved him — and even more so over the last handful of years, as our social media grew and YouTube presence, we got to feature him in videos a lot more.”

His size gave him the designation of “biggest” Gatorland gator a few years ago, the attraction said, surpassing longtime champion Chester, who died in late 2022.

“Over the years, Buddy touched the hearts of every one at the park and was loved by millions on our social media,” Gatorland’s Facebook post said. “Buddy helped shape Gatorland into what it is today. He made people fall in love with alligators.”

Life expectancy for alligators at Gatorland is longer than in the wild, Fisher said.

“In human care, gators can live anywhere between 50 and 80 years of age, and we see that quite often. … In the wild, average is 45 to 50,” he said.

There’s less fighting and more food in a facility.

“In human care, gators get a little bit more rounder. They don’t stay necessarily as skinny,” Fisher said.

A 2020 Orlando Sentinel story explored the relationship between the animals and Gatorland trainers.

“He’s probably one of the most gentle gators that I’ve worked with,” Fisher said in 2020. “But when I’m not working with him, he is probably one of the toughest alligators we have out here in the breeding marsh. … He lets everybody know that he is the king of the swamp here.”

A 2017 Facebook video from Gatorland was titled “Buddy is the breeding marsh boss!”

“He will definitely live in Gatorland infamy and be known as one of the biggest, best that we’ve ever had,” Fisher said.

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