Fort Myers Fisherman Attacked By Alligator

Recently, a Fort Myers fisherman was attacked by an alligator when he was out with a friend fishing for Bass in the Florida waters, SOTT, reports.

When Nino Alvarez’s friend told him that he had an alligator attached to his foot, all he could do was laugh.

“Oh snap, you’ve got a gator on your foot.”

Alligator SAVAGES fisherman's foot in late night attack https://t.co/BOZ86gY1GX #alligator #Florida pic.twitter.com/iUFz7YbZD1

— Daily Star (@dailystar) April 1, 2017

Alvarez posted a video of him trying to pry the alligator off of his foot while his friend laughed about the whole ordeal, but the video quickly ended after the alligator tried pulling him into the water. Unfortunately, Alvarez had to use a knife in order to save his life, which he felt very bad about.

“I feel bad for the gator, but it was either me or it. The only unfortunate thing was a gator lost its life. I think what I could’ve done to prevent it was to use a flashlight.”

The video clearly showed that Alvarez was not in pain, fortunately, due to his high-quality boots, and all they could do was joke about it while it was happening.

“I tried to go bass fishing here, and this [expletive] gator is over here, trying to eat me. I don’t even think there’s any more bass here. This guy already ate it all.”

The only injury that Alvarez did sustain was a couple of puncture wounds on one of his hands. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were informed of the alligator attack, and they are currently investigating the incident, Wink News reports.

Unfortunately, although infrequent, alligator attacks happen more often than we wish they would. We can’t forget the 2-year-old little boy, who was a victim of a vicious alligator attack at Disney Land last year.

US Magazine reveals some ways to reduce your chances of being attacked by an alligator. The best advice is to stay out of freshwater during the spring and summer months. A biology professor, Dr. Deby Cassill, revealed that during those months, alligators are more hungry.

“Alligators are cold-blooded animals. During the spring and summer months, the water is warmer, which means the metabolism of the alligators increases, and they need more food.”

Further, Dr. Cassill revealed that small children are more at risk to be attacked by an alligator. They are not as likely to attack a full grown person, as the alligators know that they are probably too big and not as easy of a target.

Another expert, Jim Nesci, says not to go in the water after dark, as this is when alligators are most active.

What happens if you would happen to be attacked by an alligator? Nesci revealed that if you are attacked by an alligator, you should go directly for the eyes.

“Gators, what they do, a lot of times when they grab prey, they will close their eyes and the big lid kind of pulls the eye into the socket further. What you do is, you go right into the eye socket with your finger and jam it in. That is the way you get them to let loose.”

Alligators will also target animals, including dogs. AL revealed a time where an alligator attacked a dog off a dock in Alabama. The dog was 100 pounds, a bit heavy for a normal alligator target. But this goes to prove just how dangerous these reptiles are and can be.

So the next time you are in freshwater in the southern states, be cautious of your surroundings. Alligators like wetlands, rivers, lakes, ponds, and swamps. They typically live in states that have warmer climates but can survive some cold weather as well. If you see an alligator, keep your distance, and DO NOT feed it. If you are attacked and can’t get away, make a lot of noise, poke at the eyes, and fight! Alligators prefer targets that cannot put up a fight.

[Featured Image by Shutterstock]