KEY LARGO,
Fla. -- Two men are facing animal cruelty charges after Florida deputies found
three endangered deer tied up in their car during a traffic stop in the
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A Monroe
County Sheriff's deputy pulled over a car with a broken tail light on Sunday
morning. That's when he saw two struggling hog-tied Key deer in the back seat
of the car, reports WPEC. The responding officer found a third Key deer tied up
in the trunk.
The deputy
called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and authorities
freed the deer. Two ran off, but a third needed to be evaluated by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, the station reports.
According to
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Key deer are a
subspecies of white-tailed deer found only in the Florida Keys.
The smallest
subspecies of white-tailed deer, the largest bucks grow to less than a yard
high at the shoulders and weigh about 80 pounds, the commission says.The deer
can swim between islands and their range includes 26 islands from Big Pine Key
to Sugarloaf Key. The entire species nearly went extinct in the 1940s due to
hunting and habitat destruction, the commission says.
While the population is now stable at around
700 to 800 deer, they remain listed as a federally endangered species.
Various
conservation measures including the establishment of the National Key Deer
Refuge, roadway fencing and strict speed limits have helped the sub-species to
survive.
The
Sun-Sentinel identified the men as 18-year-old Erik Yosmany Damas Acosta of
Miami Gardens; and 23-year-old Tumani Anthony Younge, who has ties to Port St.
Lucie. According to the arrest reports, the men told investigators they wanted
to take pictures with the deer. One of the struggling deer may have kicked out
the tail light, which led to the traffic stop, reports WPEC.
The men
could face up to five years in jail and fines of up to $5,000, reports CBS
Miami.
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