Florida Man Caught Keeping an Alligator in Garage Illegally
Everybody loves alligators, right? Well, you don’t have to go far to find an alligator here in Florida. One Floridian took things too far. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a call from a concerned local that someone might be illegally keeping an alligator in their garage.
When the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived at the residence, they met with the homeowners son where he showed them inside where they had allegedly been illegally keeping an alligator in their garage. Not long after the FWC officer arrived, they found a 35-gallon aquarium in which the 3.5 foot alligator was kept. Officials asked the son how the alligator was obtained. The son allegedly told officers to contact his father because he did not want to be involved in the matter.
The officer contacted. the dad who claimed he picked it up while crossing the road. He said he planned to take the alligator to Gatorland that week. Upon further investigation, officials said no one at the home had obtained the necessary documentation for possessing the American Alligator. The FWC said that violations had been handed out accordingly.
How do you legally own an Alligator?
If you are looking to own an alligator in the state of Florida, you can. There are a few hoops you have to jump through before you can legally own one in your backyard. The FWC considers alligators to “present a real or potential threat to human safety”. You’ll have to obtain a special permit to own one of these reptiles. With that being said, you cannot just go and take an alligator from the wild like this Orlando residence allegedly did. The FWC also has restrictions on how to purchase an alligator. You will need a Class II special permit to own an American Alligator in the state of Florida.
According to the FWC, “Anyone wishing to possess Class II species must document 1000 hours of experience working with the species they would like to possess or other species in same biological family and the same or higher Class of wildlife. The experience must span at least one calendar year.”
Learn how to own an alligator legally in the state of Florida, here.
The 5 Most Dangerous Animals In Florida
Great White Shark
Yes, Great White Sharks are found in the waters around Florida. A almost 1,200 pound shark that was almost 13 feet in length was tracked back in March of this year.
Bull Shark
#1 and #2 on the list are sharks. They are in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They grow to about 11 feet and can live about 24 years.
Alligator
Alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida. You can find alligators in any body of water including lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made canals. We’ve seen multiple reports this year of gator attacks, even some fatal ones.
Eastern Dimondback Rattlesnake
They are found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak hammocks, sand pine scrub areas, and coastal barrier islands. Yes it is venomous.
Cottonmouth Snake
It is venomous and can be found throughout Florida. It is called a cottonmouth because of the white color of the inside of its mouth.
