First:
A Florida man had his right leg ripped off below the knee in horrific alligator attack before wildlife officials shot dead two huge predators.
The man, 72, whose identity was not disclosed, was working outside his Titusville home on Friday afternoon with his wife and dog when the huge gator emerged from the canal.
When deputies from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office arrived at his home located at the Great Outdoors Nature, RV and Golf Resort, they found the gator in the water with the man’s foot protruding from its mouth.
Second:
A 23-year-old man lost his arm when he was attacked by a 10ft alligator after tripping into a pond outside a Florida bar.
Jordan Rivera barely remembers the attack when he ‘ended up in the water’ behind Banditos bar in Port Charlotte in the early hours of Sunday after going outside to relieve himself because the restroom line was too long.
Patrons ran to his rescue after hearing him screaming for help during the attack. They pulled him out of the water and put a makeshift tourniquet on his severed right arm.
From his ICU bed in Fort Myers, Rivera took a remarkably sanguine attitude to the unfortunate incident when he said: ‘I didn’t lose my life, I lost an arm, it’s not the end of the world.’
He said: ‘As I was going over there something happened where I either tripped or the ground below me just went down. I ended up in the water. And that’s literally the last thing I remember.’
The next time he opened his eyes, he was in the hospital with an amputated arm.
83 million years of highly evolved ambush predation vs a human is no match.
When you go into, or even too near, the water I’m Florida, you stop being at the top of the food chain.
It’s spring, heading into summer. The water looks cool and inviting. But be careful you don’t end up a gator snack.
THIS is why I put up with winter…. Heh heh
Gator mating season started early this year due to a warm spring season. Big males are very territorial, forcing smaller males out of one body of water and into another body of water. If you hear what sounds like a giant bullfrog croaking, it’s the female calling her mate. And if you hear what sounds like an outboard boat motor manually being started without gas in the tank, it’s a male coming to investigate you. If the apex predator is over nine feet, you can bet it will attempt to kill you if you’re an adult. A six-foot male will attack any dog or child.
There have also been two shark attacks along the Keys in the last week.