KEY LARGO, Fla. — State wildlife officers are seeking information and offering a reward after an American crocodile was shot in the head with a speargun in Key Largo.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officers were notified about the injured crocodile, which was spotted near mile marker 101 of the Overseas Highway around 11:45 a.m. Saturday.
Kelly and Carlos Randin live across the street from where the animal was first seen, near a neighbor’s boat ramp.
“It was definitely intentional. You could tell by the angle — by the way it came down from the top,” Carlos Randin said.
It is illegal to kill or harass American crocodiles, a threatened species, under state and federal law.
“It’s going to be hard to say at this time the extent of the injury until we capture the animal,” said FWC Officer Liam Rodriguez.
For the past two days, FWC officers and authorized wildlife professionals have been searching by boat, watching from docks, and using a drone to try to locate the crocodile.
At one point over the weekend, the animal was spotted but then disappeared.
“Both of us grew up here, and I’ve lived with crocodiles my whole life. They don’t bother you. They don’t harm you. There’s no reason to harm them,” Kelly Randin said.
Anyone with photos, videos or information is asked to call the FWC’s Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922.
Tips leading to an arrest or citation may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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