Collier County - A Fort Myers man is charged after authorities say he was caught illegally collecting alligator eggs.
Two Florida Fish and Wildlife officials were watching licensed alligator farmers collect eggs in the Everglades when they noticed 49-year-old Gerald Clemons boat make several stops on a canal. The scent of marijuana coming from the boat only raised their suspicions.
Clemons reportedly admitted to the officers he had illegally collected more than 100 alligator eggs from at least ten different nests.
Officers found 133 American alligator eggs in Clemons' possession. He was arrested and charged with possession of the eggs and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
130 of the eggs were transferred to Gatorama in Palmdale at no charge.
FWC says two eggs were kept as evidence, and one egg was sent for forensic testing.
Gator eggs can be worth a lot of money on the black market according to Florida alligator farmers.
Patty Register, owner of the alligator farm Gatorama, says they use legally collected eggs to replenish supply after the gators are harvested for meat and skin.
Register says alligators in captivity do not breed as well as gators in the wild.
Legit eggs are bought for about $11-$15 each, $5 of which goes to the state of Florida.
She tells us it's hard to say how much the illegal eggs are going for, but says it creates an unfair game for the farmers who play by the rules.
It's not worth the risk though, Register says farmers who buy illegal eggs can prosecuted and closed down by Fish and Wildlife.
