The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (WFC) is trying to determine why disembodied alligator carcasses are popping up near the southern Gulf Coast.
A Floridian man told local outlet WINK-TV he and his wife were boating in Fort Myers’ Caribbean Canal on Saturday when they came across a decapitated alligator that was also missing its feet and tail. While speaking with a neighbor, they spotted two more gators in a similar state.
“Typically, when someone harvests an alligator or human for use, they use components from the tail for meat and the head,” according to WFC spokesman Bradley Johnson. “When we see those pieces removed from an alligator carcass, it often indicates a human harvested it.”
Neighbors are reportedly concerned about the findings, but the WFC concedes that finding the culprits will be difficult.
It’s legal to hunt alligators between Aug. 15 and Nov. 1 with a permit in Florida. State officials issue 7,000 permits annually, which amounts to fewer than half the hunters who apply.
Florida is home to more than 1.25 million alligators, some that have measured more than 14-feet long. The largest dismembered carcass found in the Caribbean Canal on Saturday was described as medium-sized. The other two were smaller.
The primary causes of death for adult alligators are cannibalism, intraspecific fighting and hunting by humans, according to the WFC.
Alligators are considered by some to be a delicacy. The animal’s tail produces the most desired meat, according to the Daily Meal. Alligator heads are sometimes sold as curiosities.
