Bagels, Gators, And Citations, Oh My!
Volusia County Jail/FacebookFlorida man Paul Fortin described the alligator in his lake as a “good friend.” He calls him Hank.
Some, like Florida man Paul Fortin, would argue that friends are hard to come by. The 67-year-old Daytona Beach native thus formed a three-year friendship with a 10-foot alligator he named Hank that lived in the lake behind his house. According to News 6 Florida, the Florida man made headlines for regularly feeding the reptile bagels.
Since feeding alligators is staunchly prohibited by Florida law and refusing a citation for said crime is tantamount to resisting arrest, the Florida man was swiftly charged on two counts.
Fortin was caught when he posted himself feeding the alligator on Facebook. As is clear from the footage below, Fortin called the half-submerged alligator over before giving him his reward.
Posted by Paul Fortin on Saturday, May 18, 2019
“He’s my alligator,” said Fortin before petting Hank’s snout. “He’s a good boy. He lets me pet him. Come on, baby. Just don’t eat my foot, okay?”
The three-minute video also features Fortin monologuing about the alligator as if he’s a dog, replete with what Hank enjoys and dislikes.
“He used to like bread, but now he’s a little bit more fussy,” he explained while tossing bagel bread into the lake. Naturally, when the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) got a hold of this recording, they cited Fortin who then refused to sign the citation for feeding wildlife.
According to authorities, Fortin claimed he had only been feeding turtles even when he was confronted with the footage he himself posted mere hours earlier. He later claimed ignorance of the law.
“It’s illegal. It’s totally illegal to do it,” he said. “Did I know it? No. Did I know I couldn’t feed a turtle? Alligators…yeah, I kind of knew that.”
