Gator Killed After Biting Woman In Florida: Alligator In Attack Measured 11 Feet


One woman is lucky to be alive after coming under attack by a large alligator in Florida. Police say a gator measuring up to 11-feet-long was killed after biting a woman who was out for a swim in Little Big Econ State Forest.

According to WFTV, officials received a report of a gator attack in the Econlockhatchee River, which is located near Chuluota. A spokesperson from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the unidentified woman was bitten on her arm while she waded in waist-deep water about 2:30 p.m.

Thankfully, according to health care officials at Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, the animal attack victim is expected to survive the gator bite and make a full recovery from her injuries. Blasting News reported that the woman suffered bite wounds to her left arm.

Florida wildlife agents and trappers searched the area for the animal and located it a short time later that same evening. At some point, the large reptile was killed. However, police did not reveal the method used to cull the dangerous gator.

Friday’s attack took place near the proximity of another unrelated attack from three years ago. Then, a 17-year-old boy from Winter Springs suffered multiple bites on his back and head from an alligator. The victim, Andrew Hudson, spoke to a local news network about the shocking attack.

“He came up behind me and clamped. When he took me under, I felt him kind of right here, the soft part of his belly, and I started swinging and he let go.”

The victim in the 2013 gator attack recovered after doctors treated him for trauma. His injuries required 12 staples and 19 sutures to start the healing process.

The attack in Florida comes on the heels of the death of a young boy who died last month after a gator dragged him underwater and away from his family members at a Disney World resort. Police divers and animal experts searched the nearby lake at the Grand Floridian and found the boy’s remains the next day.

Disney came under fire after reports emerged that the popular destination spot could have done better to protect visitors from the resident alligators. Apparently, only signs that read, “No Swimming” were erected near bodies of water at the Walt Disney World Resort. Theme park officials have taken measures to provide proper signage and adopt additional safety measures to prevent future attacks.

Although injuries by alligators are rare, and deaths even more infrequent, when an incident occurs, it results in waves of fear throughout the nation. Gator bites and fatalities are kept in check, largely because states where they thrive — mainly in Florida, Louisiana, and other Gulf Coast domiciles — residents have learned to coexist.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission compiles statistics in the Sunshine state each year. Based on a recent report, nine major attacks occurred and only one resulted in a loss of life. Still, as many on social media opine, even one death is too many.

It’s not uncommon to see the scaly animals basking near a pond, on the bank of a swamp or even in a residential swimming pool. The latter is caused by encroachment as commercial projects spread and the creature’s natural habitats are cleared for construction projects.

Days ago, reports surfaced of an alligator observed climbing a tree in Florida. And on Saturday, trappers rescued a gator after it became stuck in a Safety Harbor Park storm drain.

Further still, a woman called 911 operators after finding a gator underneath her car in Oldsmar, Florida. She spoke to reporters about the unusual encounter.

“We don’t have any ponds or lakes near us, it’s kind of random,” the caller said.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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