'MATING SEASON': Alligator caught and killed after it was found with elderly man's leg in its mouth
TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA: People in Florida were horrified to discover an alligator swimming with a human leg in its mouth following a violent attack on an elderly man. An investigation into the event revealed that a 72-year-old Florida man was taken away by an alligator on Friday, April 14, near his home, leaving him without his right leg below the knee.
Near the scene of the attack, FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) officials and Brevard County Sheriff's deputies used rifles to track a gator in a canal, according to the Sun. They saw an alligator there, just above the water, with a human foot sticking out of its mouth. The FWC officials were able to capture and kill two alligators following the attack at the Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort. Just before 2:00 pm, the attack on the 2,800-acre resort was reported.
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'It's mating season and they're hungry'
The alligator was shot at least four times, and a lot of blood spilled into the lake as a result. Officials were able to recover a foot and part of a leg after the animal was killed. A second alligator was also killed shortly after the first one was brought onshore. The victim was flown to Melbourne's Holmes Regional Medical Center.
Ron Peoples, a local, stated, "Basically, it's in an area where the gators lay on the bank kind of readily. It's only about 15 feet between the house and the water. Right now, it's mating season and they're hungry. It's a pretty volatile combination when you put them together," according to WESH.
Peoples added, "We're finding them in people's garages under the cars, because they're going from lake to lake. They're looking for love. They basically live here like we do. We just have to be respectful of them and cautious."
'They did get the leg'
A resident of Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort named Sharon Maloney reported hearing emergency personnel approaching the area, according to the Sun. "They did get the leg. It was with the gator that they know bit him," she said. "I just heard that he did have a tourniquet applied, so that's a good thing. I heard that he was alert when he went to the hospital."
Officials are warning neighbors to be cautious since alligators are more active and visible in the spring and summer. Despite the rarity of gator attacks, authorities warn that these creatures are still wild and that humans should exercise greater caution while around bodies of water.
