Video: Hunters cited in alligator butchering caught on camera in Glynn County

Wildlife officials cited two hunters after a graphic video of an alligator being butchered in Glynn County was posted to social media.

Action News Jax blurred the video because of its graphic nature.

Cellphone video shows a man holding a phone confronting another man who is chopping off the alligator's tail.

"What the hell are ya'll doing and why?" the man asks.

The gator appears to move while it is being butchered.

Viewers tell us it happened at a boat ramp in St. Simons Island this weekend.

Hunting laws say alligators must be put down immediately after capture.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources told Action News Jax it investigated the video.

A spokesperson said the alligator was dead before the video was taken and that the movements were a nerve reaction that's common in reptiles after they die.

DNR officials said the men had a valid permit to hunt but were cited for unlawful tagging of the alligator.

DNR released a statement:

Our Rangers saw the video, made contact with the individuals in it and cited them for unlawful tagging of the alligator. They had a valid permit and the animal was dead before the Facebook video was taken. The movement of the alligator during the video was a nerve reaction, much like other reptiles move after they die."

Cox Media Group