It's going to take more than a leather hide to save the skins of two men who were caught with 55 alligators in the bed of their pick up truck Thursday.
Joel Green, 47, and 22-year-old Donald Strenth were arrested and charged with multiple poaching charges after deputies stopped the men for a routine traffic stop only to find the grisly remains of 36 large alligators in the back of their pick up truck.
The men also had snatched up 19 hatchlings, which were still alive and being stored in a small plastic bag.
It's illegal to kill an American alligator without the state's permission and none of the alligators appeared to be trapped legally.
“We hope this case sends a strong message to any would-be poachers,” said FWC investigator Capt. Jeff Ardelean. “We will find you and hold you accountable for wildlife law violations.”
Authorities don't know what the men were going to do with the animals, but chances are they were going to harvest the animals for their valuable leather hides.
