Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Police in Loretto County Tennessee recently warned residents against flushing drugs down their toilets, claiming they could potentially create “Meth Gators” or alligators high on methamphetamine. And not only alligators but ducks, geese, and other fowl that frequent the treatment ponds could be dosed with meth which would have some pretty horrible repercussions. Both for the animals and whoever is unlucky enough to encounter them.
The “Meth Gator” warning came from a Facebook post from the Loretto Police Department. The officers posted about a recent drug bust where they served a search warrant and caught a suspect trying to flush “12 grams of Methamphetamine, 24 fluid ounces of liquid meth, and several items of paraphernalia”. Instead of celebrating the bust, they took the opportunity to warn the community about the potential creation of meth gators.
Police said the flushed meth “ends up in our retention ponds for processing before it is sent downstream.” Why is this a problem? Because while their “sewer guys take great pride in releasing water that is cleaner than what is in the creek” they are, “not really prepared for meth”. The meth can remain untreated in the ponds and ingested by waterfowls and potentially alligators if the drugs were to make it to the Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River in North Alabama.
An army of animals on meth is pretty disturbing and could create a real danger for the people in the surrounding community.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. A Man in Alabama Kept An “Attack Squirrel” High on Meth in His Home
Loretto Police Department FacebookMeth discovered during the drug bust that led to the “Meth Gators” Facebook post from the Loretto Police Department.
Animals on meth have been found by police before. One of the most disturbing examples was a case in Limestone County, Alabama where police followed up on a tip of a man keeping an “attack squirrel” in his home and keeping it aggressive by feeding it meth.
According to the Mercury News, police raided the home and found the squirrel along with “meth, body armor and drug paraphernalia.” They arrested Ronnie Reynolds, 37, for drug charges but were unable to find his partner Mickey Paulk, who was the one allegedly feeding meth to the squirrel.
Deputies called animal control and were able to successfully capture and release the squirrel back into the wild. Unfortunately, they were unable to test it for meth before releasing it.
2. A Python Addicted To Meth Was Discovered in Australia and Went to Rehab
Photo credit should read ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images
Police in Australia found a python addicted to methamphetamine while raiding a meth lab. The python had absorbed the drug through its skin and was found behaving more “aggressive, confused and erratic and than normal.”
The python was captured and taken to the NSW wildlife care centre in Windsor, Australia where it underwent several months of treatment for its meth addiction. “It just takes time for the drug to leave the snake’s system” adding “we managed to calm it down after several months and bring it back to its routine feeding patterns,” Ian Mitchell, a senior overseer at the John Morony correctional complex, told Telegraph.
The python proves that reptiles, including gators, can absorb the drug through their skin, and the “meth gator” concept is more than just a scare tactic.
3. There Have Been Several Weird Experiments Conducted on Animals With Methamphetamine
Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images
What effect does methamphetamine have on animals? Scientists have been trying to answer that question for years which has led to some pretty strange experiments.
In one experiment funded by Taser International, sheep were injected with methamphetamine then tased to see what effect it had on their hearts. While that sounds insane, it had a practical reason. According to PopSci, they were trying to find out if tasers “can lead to dangerous cardiac responses in meth-intoxicated humans, with sheep standing in for people.”
In another study reported by National Geographic, scientists fed meth crystals to snails to explore the “memory-related brain processes that get humans so hooked on the drug.” The drug supercharged the snails’ brains and made them not only learn better but made their memories last longer.
4. No Meth Gators Have Been Discovered in the Wild Yet
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesAVONDALE, LOUISIANA – APRIL 25: An alligator is seen near the seventh green during the first round of the Zurich Classic at TPC Louisiana on April 25, 2019 in Avondale, Louisiana.
While The Loretto Police Department hypothesizes that flushing drugs will create “meth-gators in Shoal Creek and the Tennessee River down in North Alabama”, no gators have actually been found on the drugs. Judging by the research and previous incidents of methed up mammals and reptiles, it’s absolutely possible but there have been no reported cases of alligators testing positive for meth in the United States.
Kudos to the police department for being proactive about the situation but there’s no reason to worry just yet.
5. British Scientists Found Traces of Illicit Drugs and Pesticides in UK River WIldlife
Photo credit should read LUIS ACOSTA/AFP/Getty Images
In a study published in May, researchers at King’s College London discovered that freshwater shrimp from 15 sites around the UK had low traces of cocaine, ketamine, and pesticides in their system. The team of scientists said their findings were “surprising”.
According to the researchers, the drugs may pose a threat to the environment and the wildlife therein but would not alter behavior in the animals. “Although for many of these, the potential for any effect is likely to be low.” Said Professor Nic Bury from the University of Suffolk.
The threat of “meth gators” is real but the alligators would have to be exposed to a significant amount like the python discovered at the meth lab in order to be “high” on the substance. The residents in Loretto, Tennessee and the surrounding communities would have to flush a lot of meth down their toilets to create the terrifying meth gators that we’re all imagining so the threat of it happening is pretty low.