The injured female | Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge
Texas Game Wardens are hard on the trail of whoever decided to waste three gators at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge on Lake Worth. According to wardens, the incidents took place between May and June of this year and have since resulted in two dead, abandoned carcasses and a third surviving nesting female with what appears to be a crossbow bolt or arrow shaft lodged in her neck.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that people would take advantage of doing that to a keystone, protected species on public land," said Jared Wood, manager of the Nature Center.
Wood said that one of the dead alligators that was recovered with a gunshot wound to the head was a young animal he had tagged as part of a wildlife study. Another carcass showed signs consistent with an attempt to remove the head, with evidence showing that the spine had been forced upward.
Visitors and kayakers were the first to come across the deceased carcasses and promptly reported the animals to refuge staff. It wasn’t until Wood’s team reviewed game camera footage that they noticed the injured nesting female.
"She had that crossbow or arrow shaft sticking out of her neck," Wood said.
Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge
Hunting is prohibited at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge and the state of Texas regulates alligator hunting in certain areas through designated seasons, private land restrictions and tagging requirements. Officials stated that the cluster of illegal shootings in such a short period of time is highly unusual, something they’d expect to see over the course of a decade rather than just a few short months.
As of right now, wardens are unsure if all three incidents are related and are increasing their presence in and around the refuge in an effort to spot any suspicious activity.
"We're making our patrols more random, so any other alligators that have suspicious injuries that aren't from natural causes or any people seen snagging," Texas Game Warden Mariah Hampton said.
For now, Texas PWD’s Operation Game Thief is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to a conviction.
Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 1-800-792-GAME (4263), texting TXOGT followed by the tip to 847411, or reporting online at tpwd.texas.gov/warden/connect/ogt or through the Texas OGT mobile app.
