The alligator was found Wednesday in Florida.
CNN  — 

A Crime Stoppers group in Florida is asking the public for help after someone discovered an injured alligator with two arrows impaled in its side.

The gator was found by a pond near a home in Fort Myers, Florida, on Wednesday. A resident called the Lee County Sheriff’s office, according to the Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, which aids law enforcement in information gathering.

In addition to having arrows in its side, the alligator also had a rope wrapped around its snout and feet.

The Crime Stoppers called the incident an “illegal act of animal cruelty.”

Alligator hunting is legal in some parts of the southeast, including in Florida. However, a permit is required. Hunting can only be done during the statewide alligator hunting season, which according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, begins on August 15 and end on November 1.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped remove the alligator from the pond, the Crime Stoppers said.

The agency did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Just one day after this alligator was found, the Lee County Sheriff’s office announced a new Animal Cruelty task force, “educate the county regarding animal abuse and neglect and to enforce any and all laws pertaining to the mistreatment of animals,” according to a news release.

There are an estimated 5 million alligators in the southeastern US, according to conservation nonprofit Defenders of Wildlife. Of those, roughly 1.25 million live in Florida.