A family's swim in a Houston-area river turned into an unusual discovery, after they came across the body of a massive alligator floating in the water. The animal, found in the East Fork of the San Jacinto River, was nearly 12 feet long and had been shot, according to FOX 26 Houston.
After spotting the carcass, the family pulled the roughly 12-foot alligator to shore and reported the discovery to state officials, according to the broadcaster. Wildlife officials who looked into the case said the shooting was illegal and was not part of any official hunting season, treating the killing as a clear breach of the rules.
Officials described the circumstances of the killing in detail. One said the alligator had been killed in public, in a natural habitat situation in the river, and stressed that this was not a private property issue where someone had an animal on their own property and had a problem with it.
The same official described the animal as an alligator that was simply minding its own business out in the wild. Killing it under those circumstances, the official said plainly, was absolutely not allowed, repeating the point for emphasis during the interview with FOX 26 Houston.
According to FOX 26 Houston, authorities are now actively working to track down whoever shot the alligator. Because the killing took place outside any sanctioned hunting season and in the animal's natural habitat, investigators are treating it as an illegal act rather than a lawful hunt or a nuisance removal.
As the search for the person responsible continues, officials are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and reach out to them. They are hoping that tips from the public will help them identify who fired the shots that killed the animal in the river.