Teen charged with killing crocodile

MIAMI, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A Florida teenager has been charged with killing a crocodile whose mutilated carcass was found on the University of Miami campus.

John Michael Herndon, 16, was arrested as a result of tips about the crocodile's death, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said in a news release. He faces a number of charges, including felony animal cruelty.

The carcass of the 9- to 10-foot crocodile was discovered in a canal on the campus Oct. 1. The head and tail had been removed.

"It is really disturbing that this person and his friends could come onto our campus and viciously kill this crocodile, which presented a threat to no one," said Chief David Rivero of the University of Miami Police Department.

Investigators said Herndon told them where to find the head. Miami-Dade police divers found it in a pond on campus.

More arrests are possible in the case, police said.

The American crocodile is listed as an endangered species in Florida and a threatened species by U.S. environmental agencies. Unlike the alligator, which has a wide range in the coastal south, crocodiles are found only in the southern tip of Florida.