POLK COUNTY, FL — A Florida man pulled over on I-4 with a dead alligator strapped to the roof of his 2003 Honda Civic told responding officers that the animal was his emotional support pet and was “just taking a really long nap.”

Anthony Buhl, 34, and his companion March Chadwick, 29, were stopped after multiple motorists called 911 to report what appeared to be a six-foot reptile lashed to a sedan with bungee cords and a length of garden hose.

“He’s resting,” Buhl reportedly told Officer Diane Vasquez during the traffic stop. “He had a big week.”

The traffic stop

Officer Vasquez’s body camera footage, obtained by CCNN, shows the following exchange:

Vasquez: Sir, is that alligator alive?

Buhl: He’s between states right now.

Vasquez: Between states?

Buhl: Emotionally. He’s going through something.

Chadwick, who was in the passenger seat holding a bag of ice “in case Gary gets warm,” told officers they were en route to “a doctor” who could “help Gary feel like himself again.” Investigators later identified the destination as a taxidermist on Route 27.

Buhl was charged with improper transport of wildlife remains and driving with an unsecured load. He pleaded not guilty, arguing that “Gary was very secure” and that the bungee cords “cost like forty dollars.”

His attorney, public defender Rachel Simms, filed a motion requesting the court recognise Gary as a posthumous emotional support animal, citing a 2024 precedent involving a preserved parrot in Brevard County. The motion was denied in eleven minutes.

Community response

A GoFundMe titled “Justice for Gary” had raised $4,200 by Wednesday evening. Buhl posted a video thanking supporters and promising to “get Gary the help he deserves,” though he did not specify what kind of help a deceased alligator might require.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued a statement reminding residents that “alligators, alive or dead, are not passenger accessories.”

At press time, Buhl had listed Gary on Craigslist as “gently used, great personality, open to offers.”