15-foot Cow-Eating Alligator Shot Dead
A Florida farmer put down an 800-pound alligator. Why? It was eating his livestock.
Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty
A dinosaur-sized alligator in Okeechobee, Florida, has eaten its last cow.
Lee Lightsey, owner of the farm where the 15-foot, 800-pound beast had been snacking on his cattle, says he and his hunting partner finally shot and killed the creature on Saturday.
“Although this animal is huge, I was not that surprised it existed,” Lightsey told the BBC. “But what really drew our attention to this animal was the fact that it seems to have been feasting on the cattle on my farm.”
Lightsey and his partner shot the gator when they spotted it surfacing from a pond. A tractor was needed to drag its body out of the water, where Lightsey noticed floating pieces of mutilated animals.
According to WPTV, the alligator may be the longest recorded in Florida’s history-- a proud distinction for the alligator, but not the best thing for a farm.