Usually, boats are pulled in and out of the Arlington Road Boat Ramp, but Monday morning, officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pulled three alligator carcasses off the ramp.
The call came in around 6 a.m. Monday morning, according to Karen Parker, public information officer for the commission. When officers got there, they found three alligators without skin or heads.
“We don’t have a lot of information on it [the incident], so if any members of the public do know anything about this incident, we’d love to hear from you,” Parker said.
Members of the public can call the commission's hotline at 888-404-3922. Those who call can remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 depending on whether or not the suspects are found.
“I’ve lived here near the ramp for 30 years and that’s probably the nastiest thing I’ve seen down here," resident Chris Nichols told First Coast News. "It’s a lot nastier than fish carcasses."
Nichols was going to look at the tide Monday morning when he saw the alligators.
“There were three bundles of things that looked to be installation," he said. "Someone else thought that too, but we got a little closer and found out they were three alligator carcasses.”
Someone had already called the commission by the time Nichols got there.
“I don’t really have the words," Nichols said. "Like I said, I haven’t ever seen that before, but it was an absolutely awful thing for somebody to dump -- cut up animals -- that way and just leave them. Plus, this is a community ramp everybody uses. By dumping large dead animals here, it kind of blocked this whole side of the ramp here."
Alligator hunting is legal in Florida, with the proper permits and tags. The season lasts from August to November. It’s illegal to poach the gators.
“Harvesting an alligator without the proper permitting or without harvesting it within the particular protocol of how you’re legally supposed to catch that gator opens you up to criminal penalties and fines," Marc Hardesty, a former nuisance alligator trapper for Duval County, said. "In fact, harvesting an alligator without the proper permits is a felony.”
According to Hardesty, the scene at the ramp Monday shows negligence.
“It basically illustrates that there are folks who just don’t want to do it properly and that’s why the laws are designed the ways that they are,” Hardesty said.
Hunters can register for proper tags and permits on the FFWCC website.