Dead 5-Foot Alligator Turns Up on Martha’s Vineyard
A Martha’s Vineyard resident made a gruesome discovery on Saturday, May 10, while walking his dog, Feta, at Sepiessa Point Reservation in West Tisbury. A nearly 5-foot-long alligator carcass was…
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A Martha's Vineyard resident made a gruesome discovery on Saturday, May 10, while walking his dog, Feta, at Sepiessa Point Reservation in West Tisbury. A nearly 5-foot-long alligator carcass was found lying near the Tisbury Great Pond, its hide stripped off from the back of its head to its tail.
David Kelliher told the Cape Cod Times he discovered the creature at the pond between Tiah Cove and Tississa Pond, within the 174-acre Martha's Vineyard Land Bank property. He first reported the alligator to West Tisbury Animal Control Officer Kate Hoffman.
On Tuesday, May 13, the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife verified that a staff herpetologist had confirmed, based on photos, that the animal was an American alligator. The alligator was estimated to be about 3 to 5 years old.
Kelliher said he shared a cellphone photo of the alligator with a relative in Florida, who occasionally hunts them there. According to Kelliher's relative, the alligator appeared to have been intentionally skinned, rather than preyed upon by other animals. Florida permits alligator hunting, but it is stringently regulated.
An MV Times report suggested that wildlife, such as raccoons, may have feasted on the animal. Whether someone skinned the reptile is being debated, given that the alligator's head and claws were left intact on the carcass.
According to the Cape Cod Times, wildlife officials are unsure where the alligator originated. Regardless, the agency said the alligator may have been hunted in another area of the country and its body transported to Massachusetts.
"There's so many questions you could ask about this," Kelliher said. "If somebody did skin it, why did they take it there after they skinned it? It's very mysterious."
It is illegal to own any crocodilian species of animals as a pet in Massachusetts, including alligators. Anyone with information regarding this alligator or any other illegal wildlife activity should contact the Massachusetts Environmental Police at 800-632-8075.
