When it comes to protecting their farms, farmers will stop at nothing to keep their livestock safe. At least, that’s what appears to be the story behind the killing of a behemoth alligator in Florida.
An alligator hunting team was reportedly called in to help after there had been reports of killed livestock on the farm, local waters, and its surrounding lands.
Measuring in at 15 feet long and weighing over 800 pounds, this alligator is no joke. In fact, it’s not far behind the largest alligator ever recorded, at 15 feet, 9 inches long and weighing over 1000 pounds.
The hunter that shot the beast says that the animal was taken down with a high-power rifle and suffering would have been minimal. Among some of the evidence to back up the claims were the large number of dismembered body parts from the livestock scattered throughout the farmlands.
"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, because mutilated body parts were found in the water,” said Lee Lightsey, the hunter that took down the beast. “It was a monster which needed to be removed."
The alligator was so large that a tractor actually had to be used to lift it up off the ground. The hunter says he will be stuffing the carcass to have it preserved, as it’s not often he comes across one of this size.
Now the farmers in the area will be able to rest better at night knowing their cattle and other precious animals are now safer from the grips of nature.
Source: BBC
