They have no remorse or sense of humor.
HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) – A Hallandale Beach man who had reported a coyote in his neighborhood said he was nearly taken into custody after he refused to sign a citation for feeding wildlife.
Frankie Gadman said he deemed it unfair that he should be punished, since he was the one who reported the animal, Tuesday morning.
“I openly admitted that I fed a raccoon on the news and to the officers,” he said. “They could have come by and educated me on the situation rather than treat me like I did something wrong.”
But feeding wild animals is against the law in Florida.
…Officials said there was food in Gadman’s backyard set out for the neighborhood raccoon.
When officers came knocking Wednesday, Gadman said he was completely caught off guard.
“I said, ‘I was just trying to do a good deed here, and now you’re threatening to put me into jail?’ It’s crazy,” he said.
In the end, the handcuffs came off, and Gadman agreed to sign the ticket. He learned a tough lesson to the tune of $105.
I don’t even have a bird feeder anymore because the local bushy tailed tree rats would come after the feed and I fear I may end up with a fine because of the little bastards. And as much as I like my neighborhood iguanas, I don’t even dare to toss a piece of fruit their way.
If there is a LEO agency over the top in Florida, it is FF&W. Seriously, don fuck with them, They SWAT, boats and airplanes are not afraid to use them.
Meh, I just checked my F’s to give bag annnd it’s empty. People who leave food out for wild animals just create more problems for the wildlife as well as their neighbors. Note, I live in a small town where the occasional cougar comes during winter looking for small dog snacks. The thought of someone putting out a plate of cat food for the poor cougar appalls me.
For some reason, a Tom Lehrer song comes to mind…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY
Growing up, my best friend’s dad was a “fish cop” in Illinois. Solid, solid guy . . . but I would never want to get on the wrong side of them.
Yeah, sorry, I’m with Nuke on this one. Acclimatizing wildlife to finding food in human areas is a bad, bad idea with all but the most inoffensive critters (i.e., birds and squirrels).
That’s fine, but how does that justify terrorizing people and threatening them with arrest?
It doesn’t.
But still the rule of thumb is don’t fuck with the fish cops.