Criminal charges filed after pelican incident

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission informed Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay on Monday they are in the process of filing two criminal charges against a man seen in a viral Internet video jumping on a state and federally protected pelican in the Florida Keys.

The video was posted to social media on Friday. It’s unclear specifically where the incident occurred, but whomever posted the video on social media tagged the location as Key West. The video shows a man with a fish appearing to lure a pelican near him as he stands on a dock. The man then leaps directly on top of the bird and into the water. The man surfaces holding the bird with two hands. The bird then snaps at the man’s face with its bill, the man loosens his grip and the bird flies away.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay received multiple tips from citizens and residents in and out of the Florida Keys since the video went viral on the Internet. Sheriff Ramsay shared that information with the FWC, who announced Monday were in the process of preparing a warrant on two criminal charges — animal cruelty and molestation of a protected species.

There are also other pictures and videos of the same suspect and other animals that have been posted on the Internet. Those pictures and videos are part of the ongoing investigation. One picture shows a man holding what appears to be a Key Deer. Key Deer and the pelican in the viral video are federally protected and federal law enforcement authorities told Sheriff Ramsay they are also investigating the suspect.

“I shared the anger of those who contacted me regarding this video,” Sheriff Ramsay said on Monday. “This type of behavior — the abuse of animals — will not be tolerated on my watch and I know our law enforcement partners at the FWC and at the federal level share that mindset. I would like to thank those who quickly brought to this my attention and to the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office and the FWC who responded quickly.”

For more information about the pending criminal warrant, please contact the FWC. The investigation is ongoing and more charges could be filed.