As reported by The Tampa Bay Times, a Florida lawyer named Thomas Cope is now the center of some animal related controversy. Videos from Cope's Facebook page show him taunting a raccoon and forcing the creature to jump off his boat. The issue is, the man and the raccoon were 20 miles offshore, and so the little stowaway didn't have a chance at survival. It's believed to be dead.
Many have called Cope's actions disgusting, reprehensible, and disturbed. The anger sparked online was enough to get Cope to apologize, but he's still being investigated by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Here's Cope's apology, though many aren't buying into it at all: “The animal was running around the boat hissing and growling, making it impossible for me or my friend to drive the boat,” Cope wrote. “Knowing raccoons can be rabid and unpredictable, the only realistic option we could think of in the moment was to get the raccoon off the boat.”
Officials from the wildlife agency are taking this very seriously, and they want all citizens to know they can be contacted at 1-888-404-3922. Video of the incident can be found below: