362kg cow-eating alligator killed by US hunters

  • 07/04/2016
362kg cow-eating alligator killed by US hunters

Two Florida hunters have killed a 362 kilogram alligator that was eating cows, posting the kill to Facebook.

Lee Lightsey from Outwest Farms in Okeechobee saw the 4.6 metre beast over the weekend in a cow pond while on a hunt with his guide Blake Godwin, the Washington Post reports.

362kg cow-eating alligator killed by US hunters

Mr Lightsey said he had come across similar sized alligators over the last 20 years, but what was most shocking was that it was feasting on his cattle.

"Mutilated [cow] body parts were found in the water. [The alligator] was a monster which needed to be removed," he said.

It's reported the alligator came to the surface about 6m in front of the hunters, who then shot it. Because of its sheer size, they had to use a tractor to pull it from the pond.

Since the kill, the Facebook post has been removed from the Outwest Farms page.

The American alligator is a federally protected species, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service, and in Florida the species is considered "a species of special concern".

Mr Lightsey's Outwest Farms supervises hunts for alligators, wild boar and Osceola turkeys. Mr Ligthsey says he has been hunting for more than 18 years.

Newshub.