Wildlife officials in Florida investigate dragging of alligator

Florida wildlife officials are investigating a case of possible alligator abuse.

Video shows a man dragging an approximately 8-foot long alligator behind an ATV. The video was taken on Wednesday, and officials said the man was with a group near U.S. Highway 1 in Volusia County.

In the video, the man appears to tie the gator to the back of his ATV, before dragging it along the road.   FOX 35 reached out to investigators with Florida Fish and Wildlife. They said they have spoken to the man who dragged the alligator, and for now, no charges have been filed.  FWC said they will present their report to the State Attorney’s Office. 

"After reviewing the video, the Florida Fish and Wildlife will be looking into the incident further and conducting an investigation," said Chad Weber, a spokesman with the FWC. "The Florida Fish and Wildlife never encourages citizens to take matters like this into their own hands as it could be dangerous for the individual and could harm the animal." 

If confronted with a situation regarding nuisance alligators, Weber recommends contacting the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program at 1-866-392-4286.

The video of the alligator incident has drawn comparisons to video taken last summer, showing a shark being dragged behind a boat off the Florida Coast. It took about a month for FWC officials to identify the men in the video and charge them.