- Jan 24, 2011
- 9,378
Texas wildlife authorities are investigating a man who boasted on Facebook that he illegally killed an 11 1/2-foot alligator in Central Texas. The suspected poacher, who likely had to go off the beaten path to encounter the alligator, was not identified because he hasn’t (yet) been formally charged with what is likely to be a misdemeanor, according to Fox News.
About a week ago, authorities discovered the gator’s body near a creek in Bastrop County, where it is illegal to kill alligators because there is no open hunting season for them (unlike some other parts of the state). The inquiry began after a tip to the state’s Operation Game Thief program, which offers rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of poachers. Fred Ensinger, a game warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the tipster saw the alligator posting on Facebook and said, “That doesn’t look right.”
“Once it hit social networking it was all over the place,” the game warden said. He believes the man, who has been cooperative, did not shoot the alligator for its meat or hide but probably out of “curiosity, out of ignorance.” He added: “They saw it, said ‘that’s a big animal,’ and decided to go back and shoot it.”
More details - link
About a week ago, authorities discovered the gator’s body near a creek in Bastrop County, where it is illegal to kill alligators because there is no open hunting season for them (unlike some other parts of the state). The inquiry began after a tip to the state’s Operation Game Thief program, which offers rewards for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of poachers. Fred Ensinger, a game warden with the Texas Parks and Wildlife, said the tipster saw the alligator posting on Facebook and said, “That doesn’t look right.”
“Once it hit social networking it was all over the place,” the game warden said. He believes the man, who has been cooperative, did not shoot the alligator for its meat or hide but probably out of “curiosity, out of ignorance.” He added: “They saw it, said ‘that’s a big animal,’ and decided to go back and shoot it.”
More details - link
