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Botany

(77,376 posts) Mon Jul 30, 2012, 03:17 PM Jul 2012

Florida airboat captain charged with feeding the alligator that bit off his hand [View all]

Source: AP

EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. — A Florida airboat captain whose hand was bitten off by a 2.7-metre
alligator was arrested Friday and now faces charges of feeding the animal.

Collier County Jail records show 63-year-old Wallace Weatherholt was charged Friday with unlawful
feeding of an alligator and later posted $1,000 bond. His next court date is Aug. 22.

If convicted, Weatherbolt, who works for Captain Doug’s Everglades Tours in Everglades City, could
face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Weatherholt was attacked on June 12 as he was giving an Indiana family a tour of the Everglades.
The family said Weatherholt hung a fish over the side of the boat and had his left hand at the water’s
surface when the alligator attacked.

Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/29/florida-airboat-captain-charged-with-feeding-the-alligator-that-bit-off-his-hand/

Wallace Weatherholt

61 replies

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Highlight:

Florida airboat captain charged with feeding the alligator that bit off his hand [View all] Botany Jul 2012 OP

As the signs say in the zoo: Don't Pet the Animals... rfranklin Jul 2012 #1

Sign shoulda said "no more hand outs" n/t Po_d Mainiac Jul 2012 #22

LOL! randome Jul 2012 #23

always looking for hand out d_r Jul 2012 #41

Isn't that redundant? Ezlivin Jul 2012 #2

Since he was holding a chunk of food in the hand, it really ought to be two counts petronius Jul 2012 #18

Precisely Ezlivin Jul 2012 #52

Well that's a tour that Indiana family will never forget tawadi Jul 2012 #3

It's a good thing he didn't make it an 'audience-participation' tour petronius Jul 2012 #7

"Left arm gone clean up to de elbow!" jberryhill Jul 2012 #4

Make note to self:.... Illegal to feed body parts to Alligators..... lib2DaBone Jul 2012 #35

WTF ...loosing his hand was punishment enough... L0oniX Jul 2012 #5

So, if I am paralyzed in a car crash fleeing a bank robbery jberryhill Jul 2012 #8

Were they offering food to the bankers? Reframe much? L0oniX Jul 2012 #24

He was injured during the course of committing a crime jberryhill Jul 2012 #28

Amen, jberryhill Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #34

I agree. I think the punishment here is the natural consequence of his action. berni_mccoy Jul 2012 #10

The law is there for several reasons jberryhill Jul 2012 #29

My boss' father was killed by a gator Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #38

I'm a Floridian and I don't think this is a waste of money or the court's time! Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #33

He still has one hand to reach into his wallet with snooper2 Jul 2012 #55

fines janlyn Jul 2012 #6

He's already lost his hand. bluedigger Jul 2012 #9

I want him prosecuted Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #37

I'm okay with prosecuting him, actually, for public awareness. bluedigger Jul 2012 #42

Oh hell he'll be a celebrity. nolabear Jul 2012 #11

The gator was already killed Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #36

"The moving hand feeds and once fed moves on." randome Jul 2012 #12

It seems the same charge would apply exboyfil Jul 2012 #13

Dangling the hand - FlaGranny Jul 2012 #48

So now we have Capt. Hook. Downwinder Jul 2012 #14

That's odd. You can own an arsenal but the law says you can't feed and alligator. demosincebirth Jul 2012 #15

What if the alligator IS your arsenal? I bet the constitution doesn't cover that. randome Jul 2012 #17

Is that some form of double talk? demosincebirth Jul 2012 #19

Not absolutely maybe not. randome Jul 2012 #20

In that case, I don't know what the hell you're talking about Nt demosincebirth Jul 2012 #25

You'd have to ask Scalia if the right to keep and bear alligators was in the msanthrope Jul 2012 #31

It only covers bears, not alligators. NT NickB79 Jul 2012 #32

The constitution christx30 Jul 2012 #53

You guys are too good. randome Jul 2012 #56

I checked and I couldn't find it in there. demosincebirth Jul 2012 #58

You get a 3.7 out of 10 for the effort to introduce guns into this thread- snooper2 Jul 2012 #57

I would give myself a 10, for facetiousness demosincebirth Aug 2012 #59

And, of course, they had to track down the animal and kill it. The Stranger Jul 2012 #16

Of course they have to kill it. It bit a guys hand off who was waving a side of chicken at him. demosincebirth Jul 2012 #27

Someone should have told the gater that it's not polite to bit the hand that feeds it. Kalidurga Jul 2012 #21

Good HockeyMom Jul 2012 #26

Amen, HockeyMom Hells Liberal Jul 2012 #39

Apparently no one told the alligator that we don't do Sharia law... Thor_MN Jul 2012 #30

I'd say that he's already been charged, tried, found guilty, and sentence executed by the 1monster Jul 2012 #40

good obamanut2012 Jul 2012 #43

Man to alligator, "Would you like a hand with that?" Monk06 Jul 2012 #44

Let this be a warning to all other alligators. sofa king Jul 2012 #45

Main course and dessert in one bite. mmmm. mmmm mmm. Stupid. lonestarnot Jul 2012 #46

Eat more ChIkin JanMichael Jul 2012 #47

Maybe the practice of feeding gators is what caused this tragedy Ash_F Jul 2012 #49

Where I come from they call this JNelson6563 Jul 2012 #50

Seems like a good way to get the word out... Skinner Jul 2012 #51

Don't be to hard on this guy. William769 Jul 2012 #54

yes he made a mistake he suffered enough pitohui Aug 2012 #60

No, in fact it isn't. sofa king Aug 2012 #61