ISLAMORADA, Fla. – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has arrested a man who they said was captured on camera trying to remove an identification band from the leg of a brown pelican, News 6 partner WPLG reported.
The incident allegedly occurred earlier this year at Robbie’s Marina of Islamorada.
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FWC officials said Robert Charles Hovey Jr., 33, of Louisiana, “captured a wild animal within the boundaries of a state park, violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and tormented an animal in a cruel and inhumane manner.”
An arrest warrant was obtained for Hovey on March 13 and he turned himself in to authorities in Monroe County on Monday.
It’s unclear why Hovey was allegedly trying to remove the ID band.
According to the FWC, “the brown pelican is the smallest of the six different species of pelicans in the world” and is found on both coasts of North and South America.