A 13-foot, 8.5-inch alligator was killed by Florida authorities after it was witnessed with human remains in its jaws on Friday, September 22nd. Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said authorities responded to a report of a human body seen in the water in unincorporated Largo around 1:50pm local time.
The alligator was “humanely killed” and removed from the water with the help of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). The human remains were identified as 41-year-old Sabrina Peckham, according to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office.. The Medical Examiner’s Office says her cause of death is still pending.
Jamarcus Bullard reported the incident, prompting police to respond. The incident was recorded on his phone. “I threw a rock at the gator just to see if it was really a gator, and like it pulled the body, like it was holding on to the lower part of the torso, and pulled it underwater,” Bullard said to a local news station.
Bullard went on to explain how the authorities handled the situation. “They got this long stick thing, pulled the head out of the water, then they shot it. And once they reeled it all the way out, they stretched it out and measured it 13 feet long, and they shot it again.”
Now it could just be us, but is a double tap really a “humane kill?” The authorities were able to remove the alligator from the water and measure it out without any issues. That should mean it was already dead, right? Is it standard practice in Florida to treat dangerous animals with zombie rules?
