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Dead gators found with tails cut off in Myakka City

"There is a lawful and responsible way to deal with it. And cutting off tails and dumping them on the side of the road doesn't fall into that category."
Credit: Crystal Ingramm
Two dead alligators were found with their tails cut off in the area of Wauchula Road in Myakka City, Fla.

MYAKKA CITY, Fla. - Two dead alligators were found on the side of a road with their tails cut off.

“We thought it was just a baby alligator that was caught in the barbwire fence, we didn’t know the time that it was dead,” said Crystal Ingramm, who along with her husband found the alligators. “One tail was still there. It was left next to the body. And the other one, you could see where it was cut off."

Crystal Ingramm initially thought the reptiles were in distress when they spotted them along Wauchula Road.

Credit: Crystal Ingramm
Two dead alligators were found with their tails cut off in the area of Wauchula Road in Myakka City, Fla.

“Roadkill and such out here is expected. It’s part of everyday life,” she said. “But, this was obviously not the case. They weren’t hit by a car. They weren’t a wild animal caught. This was on purpose.”

Mutilating an alligator in Florida is a third-degree felony that includes fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in prison.

Only licensed trappers can legally harvest alligators. It’s considered a crime to injure or even have possession of the reptiles or their eggs.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conversation Commission is looking into the dead gators.

Alligator eggs sell for up to $60 each on the black market, with alligator skin going for $40 per foot. Such may explain why Ingramm’s poaching post on her community Facebook page went viral.

“I realized it’s been going on since February with over 20 alligators found,” she said.

Credit: Crystal Ingramm
Two dead alligators were found with their tails cut off in the area of Wauchula Road in Myakka City, Fla.

Once hunted to near-extinction, there are now an estimated 1.3 million alligators in Florida.

“There is a lawful and responsible way to deal with it," she said. "If alligators are over populating your area, affecting your lifestyle, your family, what have you, there’s an appropriate way. And cutting off tails and dumping them on the side of the road doesn’t fall into that category.”

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