Video shows 10-FOOT gator lunge at photographer in same Florida park where man was killed last month
A Florida man, whilst recording an alligator, was taken by surprise when the reptile attacked him. The alligator is a resident of Taylor Park in Largo and was caught in an intense stand-off with Foster Thorbjornsen of Seminole. He saw the gator roughly 20 feet from the shore and stopped to admire it. Just when he turned his vision to check the camera, the gator knew he was unalarmed and swiftly charged at him. Luckily, he wasn't injured.
Taking to his Facebook account, Foster decided to explain the entire incident with the on-site video that captured the vicious attack. He wrote, "When I turned my gaze away from him to check my camera, he quickly swam to shore and charged at me, stopping when he was almost completely out of the water about 10 feet away from me. The timing of his charge was deliberate. He waited for me to turn and look away. It was nerve-wracking and intense." The man, who could easily have been a victim of this attack, continued "It was only afterwards that I recalled reading a story about a man being killed by a large gator in this same park only two weeks ago when he foolishly entered the water to retrieve his frisbee. This is a park frequented by families with small children who often go to the water's edge."
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What happened at Taylor Park before?
In Foster's defense, he was taken aback by the fact that this is the largest alligator that he had ever seen in the wild, estimating his length around 8 to 10 feet. The staredown started when Foster approached the shore to take close-up images of nature's cruel yet beautiful animal. This is the same park where a man was fatally dismembered last month. A passerby saw the victim's body and contacted the police who explained that the man was looking for his frisbee when he was attacked by an alligator. The news was also confirmed by The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Another man, Sean McGuinness, 47, was found by the authorities with three missing limbs as he often wandered into the water in search of flying discs. He would resell these discs after collecting them from a nearby disc golf course. The cops told Spectrum News 9, "When Sean McGuinness was recovered last week, he was observed to be missing three limbs. The sergeant expects the final report from the Medical Examiner to be released approximately two months after the incident date." Derek Erskin, 37, who often visited Taylor Park told the station, "That was the last disc he ever tried to get. Hopefully, he’s at peace now with the lord and that’s the best we can wish for. He was fully aware. He seemed to be pretty comfortable with what he was doing.”