Alligator hunt opens at Loxahatchee (Video)

Gators living in a Florida wildlife refuge better watch out because hunters waiting for a decade will be allowed to kill these reptiles in a guided hunt starting Friday evening, according to wildlife officials.

Of the more than 1,200 people who applied for permits, only 11 were issued through a lottery system. Each hunter can kill two alligators during the limited hunting season.

Rolf Olson is the project leader for the Loxahatchee National Wildlife refuge in Boyton Beach. He said this has been a long time in the making.

“We analyzed data, we did surveys, we worked with our partners like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and we determined that we had enough alligators that we could have a small hunt without affecting the population in general of the alligators,” Olson said.

Animal rights activists have protested the move. The refuge, though, has already allowed the hunting of waterfowl like geese for years.

Agencies/Canadajournal

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