University of Miami Crocodile Murdered

(10/03/08)-The butchered carcass of an endangered American crocodile was discovered Wednesday in a canal on the University of Miami campus. A mesh bag with fishing chum found on the canal bank suggests the protected animal was lured to its death, then its head and tail were chopped off, said Officer Jorge Pino of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. While large alligator heads are sometimes mounted as trophies, Pino said it would be pure speculation to guess at the reasons for the croc beheading. ''We're hoping that somebody will get outraged enough that they will call and tell us if they've heard or seen anything,'' he said. "Right now, the reality is we have little to go on.'' Crocodiles have been both a curiousity and a concern on the UM campus since 2004, when a couple popped up in Lake Osceola. One, an eight-foot, 200-pounder that students affectionately dubbed ''Donna'' after school president Donna Shalala, was removed and relocated. A second larger one eluded expert trapper Todd Hardwick for months -- despite the launch of the ''Croc-Tanic,'' a floating, 12-foot sun deck rigged with a net designed to ensnare the cold-blooded reptiles -- before disappearing. Since then, other crocodiles have been spotted on the Coral Gables campus without incident. UM issued a releasing saying the school was ''saddened'' by the killing and was cooperating with the FWC on the investigation. ''The university has been an understanding neighbor to this species,'' FWC biologist Lindsey Hord wrote in a statement.

UM worked with the state to develop an online program showing students and faculty how to co-exist with large and scary-looking creatures that are, at least typically, less aggressive than the alligators they are often mistaken for. There has never been a documented crocodile attack on a human in Florida. Biologists now estimate the population, which has expanded over the past decade, to be around 1,400 to 2,000 in South Florida -- with most of them living along the unpopulated coast of southern Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. American crocodiles are listed as an endangered species in Florida and a threatened species under federal law. Killing them is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Pino said the croc was larger than most typically seen in campus canals and lakes connected to the Gables waterway.

The dismembered carcass, which still weighed several hundred pounds and took three men to handle, was transported to a lab for a necropsy that could reveal clues to the crime. Pino said a service worker made the gruesome find Wednesday afternoon. While it wasn't yet clear when the animal was killed, the remains had not yet begun rotting or bloating, suggesting the killing was recent. There were some signs of struggle along the canal, at the intersection of South Alhambra Circle and Ponce de Leon Boulevard near the campus police station, where the chum bag was found, Pino said. ''It lookes like they used that to lure the croc to come over to shore,'' he said. "Then they they used a sharp object, a machete or hatchet, to do the rest.''

UPDATE: (11/01/08) Donna the endangered crocodile, beloved by University of Miami students; was slaughtered as a thrill kill, university police said Thursday. John Michael Herndon, 16, was arrested as a result of tips about the crocodile's death, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said in a news release. He faces a number of charges, including felony animal cruelty. The carcass of the 9- to 10-foot crocodile was discovered in a canal on the campus Oct. 1. The head and tail had been removed. "It is really disturbing that this person and his friends could come onto our campus and viciously kill this crocodile, which presented a threat to no one," said Chief David Rivero of the University of Miami Police Department. Investigators said Herndon told them where to find the head. Miami-Dade police divers found it in a pond on campus. More arrests are possible in the case, police said. The American crocodile is listed as an endangered species in Florida and a threatened species by U.S. environmental agencies. Unlike the alligator, which has a wide range in the coastal south, crocodiles are found only in the southern tip of Florida.

Police are also looking for an adult who they say also took part, luring the reptile with fishing chum, tying it down and chopping it up. The crocodile suffered, authorities said. ''They used knives to kill it,'' said UM Police Chief David Rivero. "It was a very disturbing killing of the crocodile.'' Campus police said a tip to Crime Stoppers about 10 days ago led them to a nearby apartment, where authorities executed a search warrant at the apartment of an ''associate'' of one of those involved. ''We were able to find some critical DNA evidence that told us we were on the right path,'' Rivero said. Five people, three of them juveniles, were at Lake Osceola when the crocodile was killed between 2 and 3 a.m. Oct. 1. Police said they were all friends and one had fished in the canal. The 16-year-old and an adult actively participated in the slaying, police said. ''We have an incredible amount of corroborating evidence including video, DNA,'' Rivero said. "We've recovered the knives. We've recovered the chum bag that was used to draw the crocodile close to shore.''

Crocodiles have called the UM campus home since 2004, and Rivero said the college community's attachment to the crocodile gave police an "incredible zeal to solve this case.'' A service worker made the gruesome discovery in the afternoon on Oct. 1. There were signs of struggle along the canal at the intersection of South Alhambra Circle and Ponce de Leon Boulevard, not far from the campus police station. Police say the group lured the crocodile with chum, tied it up and then killed it, cutting off its head and tail. There are only thought to be between 1,400 and 2,400 of the endangered American crocodiles left in Florida, said Officer Jorge Pino, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "That's why it hit home,'' Pino said. The pieces are often used as trophies or sold, Pino said, adding, "In this case and cases similar to this, it's all about the rush and it's all about wanting to commit this crime. We're not going to tolerate it.''

Commentary: How sad that sick bastards like these can kill innocent animals that are hurting nobody and doing harm to no one. These sickos who engage in the sadistic ritual killing of animals often move up the sicko ladder by becoming murderers. The Zodiac Killer is a perfect example. That guy used to catch squirrels in order to "disect" them and graduated to serial killer. Too bad that these animal molestors cannot be given Biblical Justice, an eye for an eye.