Alligator was ‘used for target practice,’ Florida rescuers say. ‘She was suffering’

A “feisty” alligator found in Florida with an arrow sticking out of her head was being “used for target practice,” according to rescuers.

The alligator died Wednesday, June 12, three days after being captured on private property near Land O’ Lakes, officials said. Land O’ Lakes is about a 20-mile drive north from Tampa.

An investigation into the illegal hunting of the alligator has been launched by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which reports it was alerted June 9 by a state-licensed trapper.

The alligator’s story was championed on social media by wildlife biologist Chris Gillette, who posted a series of updates about discoveries made by X-rays. Gillette was keeping the alligator, named Archer, at Bellowing Acres, his alligator sanctuary.

“Although it was a valiant effort, our poor girl Archer peacefully passed (June 12). We got her medical help as soon as possible (but) swelling, infection, and trauma all played a part,” Gillette wrote on Facebook.

“She was also suffering from extreme lead toxicity, so extreme that (a) machine couldn’t even read the levels. Archer was not in pain and did not suffer and passed comfortably. It is not the outcome we wanted, but we did know that this was a very real possibility.”

Among the projectiles found was an arrow tip sticking out of the alligator’s head, another buried inches-deep in an ear and multiple BBs stuck in her mouth, he said.

“This poor alligator .... has been used for target practice by some really horrible human being,” Gillette said in a video posted on Facebook. “This thing has been through a lot. I can’t believe (she was) still alive.”

He has urged the people responsible to turn themselves in to the FWC.

Florida has a limited alligator hunting season that begins on Aug. 15 and runs through Nov. 1. On average, more than 15,000 applicants apply for the 7,000 permits, the FWC says.

In cases where an alligator is believed to pose a threat to humans, the FWC contracts “nuisance” alligator trappers to remove them legally year round.

Tips on illegal alligator hunting can be reported to the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 or MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.

This story was originally published June 14, 2024 at 8:35 AM with the headline "Alligator was ‘used for target practice,’ Florida rescuers say. ‘She was suffering’."