A pelican was mutilated on a Florida Keys bridge. Police want help finding two men.
Florida fish and wildlife police are looking for two men they say mutilated a pelican in the Florida Keys earlier this month.
The seabird’s injuries were so severe that it had to be euthanized, according to police with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The men cut the pelican’s pouch and then did “other gruesome things” to the bird, the FWC said in a press release.
The incident happened between 5 and 8 p.m. on March 8 on the Tea Table Relief Bridge in Islamorada, the agency said.
Officer Bobby Dube, spokesman for the FWC in the Keys, said if caught and convicted, the men face up to five years in prison for animal cruelty.
Dube said other people on Tea Table Relief Bridge saw the bird being tortured and called the police.
Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward, who is known for seeking stiff penalties for fish and game violations in the Keys, vowed to prosecute the case to its fullest if the men are caught.
“We’ll be asking for significant jail time,” Ward said Friday.
The FWC is asking for the public’s help in finding the suspects. They released photos of two males walking with fishing poles through the parking lot of Bud N’ Mary’s Marina on Upper Matecumbe Key.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the FWC’s tipline at (888) 404-3922. There may be a cash reward for information leading to an arrest, according to the press release.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 5:41 PM.
