DAVIE, Fla. – A dead alligator found on the side of a Davie road with its tail missing is being investigated as a possible case of poaching.
Drivers discovered the butchered gator Friday morning on the side of Reese Road. It's not known how or when the reptile ended up there.
Ed Metzger, a wildlife biologist at the University of Florida, told Local 10 News that it appears the gator was illegally killed and had its tail chopped off.
People who work nearby suspect the gator was killed somewhere else and dumped on the side of the road, adjacent to Florida's Turnpike.
"You can tell there's no blood," Davie resident Tommy Longinotti said. "If they would have did it here, there would be blood everywhere."
Longinotti said the gator's tail was probably chopped off for its meat or skin.
Hunting alligators in Florida is legal, but only for those with a permit during certain times of the year. Gator hunting season doesn't begin until Aug. 15.
Several drivers who pulled over to take pictures reported the carcass to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"We take wildlife poaching seriously," the FWC said in a statement. "We can't speculate as far as the circumstances of this case, but we will be conducting an investigation on it."
People in the area said they hope security cameras from a nearby business will help lead authorities to the culprit.
"I think it's totally disgusting and whoever did it should be caught and, if possible, prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Davie resident Tony Johnson said.
