American couple threatened by 200kg giant crocodile for five years, finally killed it but were criticized by netizens for being cruel?
The couple, Chris and her husband, living in Florida, have been living in fear for nearly five years…
Five years ago, Chris was trimming the lawn in their backyard when suddenly, her two Labrador dogs started barking furiously.
As she turned around, a massive creature was charging towards her…
Chris quickly ran to a safe place and upon closer inspection, it was a giant crocodile.
Florida is the main habitat for alligators, and crocodiles are common, but this one was exceptionally large, measuring approximately 3 meters in length… It was staring at Chris, her husband Craig, and the two Labrador dogs, with an aggressive demeanor… The couple was frightened.
They speculated that the crocodile might be living near the small river adjacent to their backyard since it started visiting their yard regularly after that day, becoming a regular “guest”.
At first, it was just wandering around the yard, and since they often crossed paths, the couple gave it a name, Albert.
But one day, Albert suddenly became hungry and began to chase their two dogs, and that’s when Chris and her husband realized that their lives were in serious danger…
After all, even experienced triathletes and firefighters would have half their heads bitten off and barely escape if attacked by a crocodile…
After rescuing their dogs, Albert’s presence became less welcome.
Despite their fear and anxiety, the couple couldn’t do anything about it because alligators are protected endangered species under Florida law. Unless one holds a special alligator hunting permit, harming an alligator is a third-degree felony that carries a possible five-year prison sentence.
Moreover, Albert’s size was too large and did not meet the size standards for specialized relocation by professionals.
The couple couldn’t chase it away or hunt it, they could only silently endure the alligator’s harassment and threat to their lives and coexist with it in their backyard.
Every time they saw Albert in the backyard bushes, they would startle and quickly move away while keeping a close eye on their dogs’ safety.
Thus, the couple had lived in fear for five years until this year when they finally got a chance to get rid of Albert. One of their friends, Oren Shershow, obtained an alligator hunting permit, and all they had to do was wait for Albert to show up again so they could put an end to their five-year terror-filled life.
A few days ago, Albert finally appeared. It was leisurely swimming in the water near the Krzyz family’s home. Orencio, who had obtained the hunting permit, received the news and quickly gathered some friends to prepare for the hunt.
Orencio and another friend used fishing line to catch Albert and fixed it in a suitable position. Then, Orencio shot Albert several times with a rope-tied arrow, and the alligator stopped moving shortly after being hit.
Due to Albert’s large size and weight of more than 200 kilograms, several people could not lift its body even after fishing for a long time. They had to bring in an excavator to pull Albert’s body out of the water and then transport it back home in a truck.
After they arrived home, the Krzyz couple and Orencio lifted Albert’s body up and took photos with it. Orencio also cut off the alligator’s head as a trophy of his own alligator hunting.
However, some people think that hunting and killing a non-harmful alligator is too cruel, and they have left comments expressing their disapproval. One person wrote, “Animals have the right to eat and survive. If you don’t like alligators, then don’t live in Florida.”