Florida’s annual statewide alligator harvest began on Wednesday.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission oversees the six-week program.
Alligators were included on the original federal endangered species list in 1967. Conservation efforts allowed the population to rebound, and they were removed from the list in 1987.
Today, the state’s alligator population is estimated at 1.3 million alligators and has been stable for many years.
FWC issued more than 7,500 permits, including an additional 1,313 county-wide permits, as a method to help manage the alligator population.
