Crocodile Killed by Group of Men

NEWS RELEASE
The Center for North American Herpetology
Lawrence, Kansas
http://www.cnah.org
3 January 2006

Crocodile Killed by Group of Men

December 18th, 2005

KEY LARGO, Florida-Authorities are searching for a group of men they say lassoed a crocodile and dragged it to its death.

Two weeks ago, in an area just off U.S. 1 near the Monroe County line, a crocodile named Charlie was tortured and killed by a group of men.

It was absolutely sickening, said Elaine Doherty, a neighbor. That croc never hurt a soul. His habitat was right over here. I've known him for six years. We all referred to him as Charlie. Charlie was basking on a sunny embankment in the late afternoon on Dec. 3 when some men slipped a noose around his neck. At first, they started to drag the animal with their bare hands, but I guess that wasn't fun enough for them, Fish & Wildlife Spokesman Jorge Pino said.

I saw them drag him all the way down there, and he was tied to the back of a green Hummer, Doherty said. A horrified observer took pictures of the men attacking the animal, and another neighbor called 911 and led wildlife officers to one suspect, Pedro Guerra Morales, of Miami. He advised me through an interpreter that he didn't speak English and he had nothing to do with the crocodile, arresting Officer Bobby Bube said.

However, wildlife officials said that pictures taken to one-hour developer showed Guerra Morales with the crocodile. I even showed him in the picture that he was standing there holding a rope around the crocodile's neck and he still denied it, Bube said.

Some other suspects got away in a boat before officers arrived, but authorities hope the witness's pictures will help them track the men down. They would be charged with killing an endangered species, a third-degree felony in Florida that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.

There are only 800 to 1,000 crocodiles in the United States, concentrated in Florida's southern tip. They are shy and retiring animals.

There has not been one documented crocodile attack in the state of Florida that we have heard of, Pino said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.

Florida shouldn't have to deal with issues like this. How's about if they just ship them up here, I'll take "hillbilly custody" of them, and will happily tie them to the back of my Jeep and take them sightseeing through our beautiful Ozark mountains?

Originally Posted by ms_terese

Florida shouldn't have to deal with issues like this. How's about if they just ship them up here, I'll take "hillbilly custody" of them, and will happily tie them to the back of my Jeep and take them sightseeing through our beautiful Ozark mountains?

You are referring to Pedro and his cronies right?

Why, oh why do people do things like this? How is it fun? Just sickening.

Yeah. And if some upstanding and morally outraged citizen had taken a 12 gauge to those people, HE/SHE would have been arrested.

You are referring to Pedro and his cronies right?

Abso-friggin-lutely!

That is just terrible!!!!! Very Sad!

Glad the witness had a camera and thought to get good enough photos to ID those sickos! What a warped sense of "fun"! Great models for kids to look up to!

Originally Posted by ms_terese

Abso-friggin-lutely!

if only we could...:P i'd love to show the jerks the sharp end of a stick. I can't beleive what people will do to their fellow living beings on the earth, including their own species... imagine the stink if charlie was a human...

Its disgusting what these lowlifes did to Charlie the Crocodile! I definitely hope the Pictures taken help I. D. the rest of the individuals responsible for this Heinous crime..