NBC 6 (Florida) 28 September 04 Couple Finds Alligator Chopped Into Pieces In Yard - Woman Says Gator Is Second Reptile Incident
Miami : A South Florida couple say they have found two dead reptiles in their yard in two weeks.
First it was a snake, now the carcass of an alligator has been found in front of their house.
"That is not my barrel and it is not my alligator," Irma Callahan said when police came to remove the gator Tuesday.
Police believe someone dumped the alligator, which was sliced into pieces, into a barrel and left it on Callahan's lawn.
Callahan says the incident is similar to one that occurred last week.
"The homeowner is telling us that about a week ago they found what they thought was a chopped snake next to the trashcan," said Lt. Neal Cuervas, of the North Miami Police Department.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission is investigating.
"It has been dead for a while. You can smell it is pretty rotted," FWC Officer Caesar De La Torre said.
"Why would anyone put an alligator on my property? I don't know that anyone has a reason to not like me," Callahan said.
Detectives are still gathering facts and investigating the incidents.
"It is a felony. Someone out there poaching an alligator is against the law and if you get caught you are going to face a lot of punishment here," De La Torre said.
Couple Finds Alligator Chopped Into Pieces In Yard