Alligator shot in Florida after eating farmer's cattle

Florida: An alligator measuring nearly 15ft in length has been shot dead on a Florida farm after being suspected of killing cattle.

The large reptile was shot by Lee Lightsey who runs hunts for alligators, wild boar and turkey on his farm near Okeechobee in south east Florida.

Mr Lightsey was guiding two hunters after "hogs" on Outwest Farm when they spotted the 380kg predator in a cattle pond.

He told the BBC:"Although this animal is huge I was not that surprised it existed.

"What really drew our attention to this animal was the fact that it seems to have been feasting on the cattle on my farm, because mutilated body parts were found in the water.

"It was a monster which needed to be removed."

From 1988, Mr Lightsey has run commercial alligator hunts harvesting over 5000 alligators six-feet-long or longer.

The price of hunting alligators on Outwest Farm depends on their length with those between 6-8ft costing £744 and any over 13ft costing £7,091.

The hunter added: "We kill them with the minimum of suffering without allowing them to be injured before they die."

Mr Lightsey plans to stuff the animal and donate the meat to charity.

There are thought to be over a million American alligators living in Southern Florida with another million living in Louisiana.