Posted on 07/11/2005 9:02:56 AM PDT by nickcarraway
A week after a reptile slaying in Chesterfield County, it remains unclear whether the fisherman who reportedly clubbed it to death will feel the bite of the Endangered Species Act.
Max Belle, the angler in question, hasn't even been told by federal game officials if the deceased reptile was indeed on the protected-species list, said his lawyer, David Baugh.
"If the government takes this long to determine whether or not it is a protected species, I wonder why they would expect a common, ordinary citizen to make this differentiation," Baugh said Friday.
"How is someone supposed to know the difference between a protected, endangered reptile and a threatening, nuisance reptile?" Baugh added.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could not be reached Friday. The maximum potential penalty: a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
He, like Baugh, lives on the Falling Creek Reservoir, which is shared by Richmond and Chesterfield. The waterway has seen some recent drama because of damage by the remnants of Tropical Storm Gaston and sewer-pipe problems.
The befuddling appearance of the 44-inch, 9-pound mystery reptile - alligator, caiman or crocodile? - provided the latest excitement.
"I've been looking for it, kind of hoping I'd see it," said Paula Moore, who lives on Falling Creek Reservoir with her family.
News of Falling Creek's mini-Nessie - "Darth Gator," some called it - spread quickly.
It was believed that it had been someone's pet, as alligators generally don't travel north of North Carolina. Anyone with information about the creature is asked to call Crime Solvers.
There was some concern that the reptile might bite someone or consume small pets, despite published assurances from one of the state's top reptile experts that it posed no threat "unless you do something really stupid."
(Excerpt) Read more at timesdispatch.com ...
Baby Killer!
The answer to all this is. If no one knows you killed it, keepit that way.
Several years ago, some PC totalitarians gave some poor woman static when she tried to protect her Chihuahua from an endangered hawk, and broke the hawk's wing.
The thugs in the "Facists For Wildlife First People Last Association" thought the hawk should have been allowed to consume the little dog. They, as I remember only backed down when the case was made very public, and realized if procecuted there would be big-time jury nullification...
A gator like this is just a time bomb waiting to grow large enough to become a real danger to people around it. And at nearly 4 feet, it was just about there already. These creatures cannot be tamed - to them, everything is a source of food until tried, including your pets, your kids, and yourself, when they're no longer scared of you. That's why it's illegal to feed them. It was just a matter of time before someone had to kill this animal.
Next time, Mr. Belle, remember the three S's.
The alligator was removed from the Endangered Species list in 1987 and is actually hunted in Louisiana. It should be a simple matter to determine if this is an alligator or a camian, native to southern Mexico and South America. (Go to Wikipedia) It sounds to me like they know it is an alligator and they know it is no longer on the endangered species list, yet they want to get him for killing it.
Mr. Belle was an idiot. If he gets a fine or whatever, he deserves it, just for stupidity. Official efforts were being undertaken to trap this croc/alligator. Mr. Belle gets out in his boat, deliberately hooks the thing, then supposedly calls for help for 30 minutes before deciding to club it 15 times with an oar so he can return to shore (all he had to do was cut the line). Then, even dumber, he gets the news media out to hear the tale of the clubbing in quite some detail accompanied with 'film at 11' pictures of a very small, very dead croc/alligator. Mr. Belle has P.O.'d everyone on every side of this issue except Mr. Baugh, a locally noted and expensive defense attorney who I suspect will end up with the last $laugh$.
SSS -
Shoot it, Shovel it, STFU about it.
I don't recall the outcome, but the poor woman was harassed by the government for some time.
These Animal First people gripe the hell out of me.
Traditionally, the northernmost limit of natural alligator habitat is the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. It's only a short leap of faith to believe that, with the warmer winters we've had lately, it's possible that the alligator may have migrated northward. It could be yet another side-effect of global warming.
So therefore...we're all going to be eaten by alligators, and it's Bush's fault!
(Yes, I'm being sarcastic.)
They're hunted big time here in Florida as well. The FWC issues gator hunt permits - every year they issue more and more permits. It doesn't slow down the growth of the alligator population, though. There are more of them today than ever since they were placed on the Endangered Species List.
It used to be a rare occurence to hear about someone being killed by an alligator in Florida. Now, I hear of at least two fatal attacks per year, sometimes more.
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