OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – An Osceola County hunter was caught in possession of an 8-foot alligator earlier this month, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In a news release, the FWC reported that an officer was surveilling a nearby lake after complaints came in about illegal hunting in the area.
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During this time, the hunter was spotted in an airboat while hunting alligators, and the officer discovered that the hunter was in possession of an 8-foot-long alligator without a secured CITES tag, which is required after an alligator has been killed, the release shows.
Additionally, the hunter did not have a permit to harvest alligators, according to the FWC.
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The release states that the alligator was still alive, and so the officer “returned it to the resource.”
Due to the incident, a notice to appear was issued for the hunter on charges of illegal possession of an alligator, not securing the CITES tag to a harvested alligator, and not immediately killing or releasing a captured alligator.
No additional information has been provided at this time, including the hunter’s identity or where the incident occurred.
In a similar situation, a Florida woman was cited earlier this month for keeping a young alligator in the bathtub of a resort in Winter Garden.
During that case, the woman was cited referencing 379.3014, or the unlawful sale, possession or transporting of alligators or alligator skins.
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