More airboat tour captains arrested for feeding alligators

Airboat tour operators were once again the subject of an undercover wildlife officer operation to catch them feeding alligators, which is illegal. Three airboat captains at Everglades Holiday Park were arrested in mid-July for either feeding or molesting an alligator, the Lakeland Ledger and other sources report. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers took tours undercover to catch the captains feeding the alligators to entertain the airboat tourists, according to news reports.

Before this blog was started, EcoFlorida reported in September 2004 about a similar undercover operation in Collier County, when airboat captains from Speedy Johnson’s Airboat Tours, Everglades Private Airboats and Jungle Erv’s were caught feeding alligators.

The maximum penalty for anyone caught feeding an alligator in Florida is 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.