Texas teen arrested in connection with hunting alligator at wildlife refuge

He collected the alligator head, officials said.

Photo of Priscilla Aguirre

An alligator swims through the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on February 12, 2023 in Delray Beach, Florida, United States. South Florida is a popular location for wildlife due to the vegetation and hot humid days. 

An alligator swims through the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on February 12, 2023 in Delray Beach, Florida, United States. South Florida is a popular location for wildlife due to the vegetation and hot humid days. 

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A teen was arrested in connection with killing an alligator at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge last weekend, according to a report from Valley Central. Authorities told the outlet that they found the teen with a cooler that had an “alligator head, two alligator gar, fishing gear, and a .22 caliber single shot rifle.”

The teen, Jesus Rios, was arrested on suspicion of hunting alligators without landowner consent on Sunday, March 12. Rios, 18, was taken into custody and transported to the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center. His bond was set at $1,000.

Texas Game Wardens were patrolling South Padre Island when they received a call about someone killing an alligator off the Highway 106 Bridge in Bayview, according to officials. The caller said the person was also skinning the alligator at his residence in Los Fresnos.

Rios told the authorities he hooked the alligator from the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, which is in the lower part of the Rio Grande Valley. Texas Game Warden Chris Dowdy told Valley Central that illegally hunting an alligator can lead to a Class A misdemeanor and be punishable by a $4,000 fine.

In Texas, alligators can only be hunted with a proper license and permission on a person’s property during hunting season, which runs from April 1 to June 30. Dowdy encourages the community to call Operation Game Thief Wildlife Crime Stoppers to report any illegal activity at 1-800-792-GAME (4263).

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