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A Lakeland woman is appealing to keep her companion alligator, Rambo. Mary Thorn filed the appeal with Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal.

This after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission last month denied Thorn’s license for Rambo. FWC officials said she doesn’t have the required 2.5 acres of land for a gator over 4 feet long.

Thorn said she got her license before that rule came into effect for American alligators and she should be grandfathered in.

Attorney Spencer Sheehan heard about this unusual case and offered to help Thorn.

“Administrative law can be very confusing not just to lay persons obviously but even to attorneys, and they held her to such a standard that they said, ‘Well, you didn’t fill out your paperwork properly,'” said Sheehan.

Thorn says her leather-wearing alligator spends most of his time indoors because he has sensitivity to the sun.

Editor’s Note: This story has been modified to clarify when Thorn got her initial license for Rambo.