CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — Residents dwelling alongside a quiet southeast Cape Coral canal are accustomed to recognizing dolphins and stingrays within the water, however a headless alligator? That was a primary.
Gloria Baenen found the weird sight whereas close to her pontoon boat on Tuesday, after noticing a robust, fishy odor.
“I stated, properly, somebody stated there was a gator however no head,” Baenen recalled. “Once I went to verify, I discovered it — belly-up, floating close to the boat.”
The alligator, which was lacking each its head and tail, drifted away shortly afterward. Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee (FWC) searched the encompassing canals however initially got here up empty, speculating the carcass could have been caught beneath Baenen’s boat.
“Exterior right here, we see stingrays and dolphins quite a few instances,” Baenen stated. “By no means a gator — and by no means like this.”
A search workforce, aided by scent canine, later situated the alligator once more. The decomposing physique, now largely skeletal, was present in shallow water, swarming with flies.
“Yeah, as a result of it stinks,” Baenen famous. “I don’t perceive how a headless alligator might be so newsworthy, however it’s sort of cool.”
Regardless of curiosity, the invention has raised issues amongst neighbors about how the alligator died — and whether or not it was the results of poaching.
“I hope that whoever did it, if it was poached, they get caught,” Baenen stated. “That’s not a very good factor.”
FWC officers eliminated the stays from the canal Thursday afternoon and relocated the physique to deeper waters to permit for pure decomposition.
Officers say the incident is underneath lively investigation.
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