Cape Coral residents were shocked after a headless alligator was found in a local canal. Authorities continue to investigate the incident, hypothesizing that poachers could have been the ones behind the graphic dismemberment.
Videos by Suggest
While on her pontoon boat, according to CBS News, Gloria Baenen discovered the unusual and somewhat disturbing sight. She had perceived a strong odor before the startling discovery.
“I said, well, someone said there was a gator but no head,” Gaenen said. “When I went to check, I found it belly-up, floating near the boat.”
This sighting was highly unusual given the state of the alligator. Not only was it missing its head, but its tail was missing too. A canal that is usually home to dolphin or stingray sightings displayed something that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had to investigate.
Initially, the FWC failed to locate the alligator, even believing that the carcass might have been stuck in Baenan’s boat. However, a search team managed to locate the alligator with the help of scent dogs. The alligator, now in an advanced state of decomposition, was moved to deeper waters. This would allow the carcass to decompose naturally.
¿Poaching?
Many have been left wondering how such a thing occurred. While alligator hunting is legal in Florida, it does require a permit, only allowed in specific areas, and hunters to be 18 years of age or older, as per the Miami Herald. Both alligator heads and tails are very popular items sold online.
One concerned parent, Robert Willock, told WINK that he believed a poacher was behind the dismemberment for that very reason.
“It was probably somebody who poached it, cut the head and the tails off to eat,” Willock said. “They keep the head and they put it in an ant pile. The ants eat it down to the bones till they have a skull.”
Baenan, the woman who came across the alligator, is worried about the possibility of poaching. If that’s proven to be the case, her wish is for the ones responsible to be held accountable.
“I hope that whoever did it, if it was poached, they get caught,” Baenan said. “That’s not a good thing.”
In an email sent to the Miami Herald, FWC officials addressed the incident.
“An FWC officer responded to the scene to investigate the incident. This is currently still an active investigation,” FWC officials wrote. “It is worth noting that it is illegal to harvest or possess an alligator outside of alligator hunting season.”