California children caught alligator in Florida using noose

Three children from California caught an alligator with a noose Thursday while vacationing in Florida, according to local authorities. 

The children, ages 16, 8 and 6, hooked a noose around an alligator’s neck at Fay Lake Wilderness Park in Port St. John and brought it to shore, Florida Today reported.

The alligator eventually went back to the water, but it still had the noose around its neck when the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Wildlife Commission arrived on scene, commission spokesman Chad Weber said. 

The alligator will be either euthanized or relocated due to the interaction with humans that could later make it a potential threat, the spokesperson added.

Weber said the 16-year-old received a citation for feeding, enticing or molesting alligators and was educated in Florida’s rules for alligator safety.

The 6-year-old and 8-year-old did not receive citations.