Two men from South Carolina were charged with harassing wildlife after they admitted to blowing smoke into a baby alligator’s mouth and force-feeding it beer.
Zachary Lloyd Brown, 21, and 20-year-old Joseph Andrew Floyd Jr. are both facing the misdemeanor charge, which comes with a maximum fine of $300, according to a press release from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
“Wildlife conservation is a big part of what SCDNR officers do each day,” the agency’s 1st Sergeant, Earl Pope, said. “This case is a good example of why we strive to educate people about wildlife in hopes that they will respect it.”
The incident unfolded Wednesday in Jasper County when Brown and Floyd picked up a young alligator they spotted crossing the street. They recorded themselves pouring beer down the reptile’s throat on Snapchat and screenshots from the video were posted to Facebook on Friday, the Island Packet reported.
Citizens concerned by the images tipped off the Department of Natural Resources, and it filed charges against the pair through the state’s alligator management legislation.
In South Carolina, it’s illegal to feed an alligator or to attempt to lure it with food. It’s also against the law to hunt or take alligators without a permit, with “take” being defined as “harass, hunt, capture, or kill or attempt to harass, hunt capture or kill.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nat...g-baby-alligator-drink-beer-article-1.3200976
