Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Monster' 15ft-long alligator shot in Florida after eating farmer's cattle

'It was a monster which needed to be removed'- Hunter Lee Lightsey

Matt Payton
Wednesday 06 April 2016 10:26 BST
Comments
The alligator shot was 15ft in length and weighed 360kg in weight
The alligator shot was 15ft in length and weighed 360kg in weight (Outwest Farms/Facebook)

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

An alligator measuring nearly 15ft in length has been shot dead on a Florida farm after being suspected of killing cattle.

The large reptile was shot by Lee Lightsey who runs hunts for alligators, wild boar and turkey on his farm near Okeechobee in south east Florida.

Mr Lightsey was guiding two hunters after "hogs" on Outwest Farm when they spotted the 380kg predator in a cattle pond.

He told the BBC:"Although this animal is huge I was not that surprised it existed.

"What really drew our attention to this animal was the fact that it seems to have been feasting on the cattle on my farm, because mutilated body parts were found in the water.

"It was a monster which needed to be removed."

From 1988, Mr Lightsey has run commercial alligator hunts harvesting over 5000 alligators six-feet-long or longer.

The price of hunting alligators on Outwest Farm depends on their length with those between 6-8ft costing £744 and any over 13ft costing £7,091.

The hunter added: "We kill them with the minimum of suffering without allowing them to be injured before they die."

Mr Lightsey plans to stuff the animal and donate the meat to charity.

There are thought to be over a million American alligators living in Southern Florida with another million living in Louisiana.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in