Alligator Bites Off Leg Of Elderly Man At Florida RV Park
on Apr 17, 2023
A man in his 70s had his leg bitten off below the knee by a large reptile in a park designated for recreational vehicles, officials in Florida reported.
The incident occurred at the Great Outdoors RV Nature & Golf Resort, in Titusville, Florida, where multiple bodies of water are on the property. Brevard County Fire Rescue said the alligator attack happened at about 1:50 p.m. on Friday.
The 72-year-old victim was transported to a trauma center after the alligator “severed” his right leg below his knee. The dispatch call conveyed that the alligator went back underwater after the attack.
An alligator trapper was dispatched by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials. Although two alligators were captured in the region, it is unclear whether either of them was the one that attacked the man.
It is still unknown what caused the attack, according to fire officials. Brandon Fisher, Gatorland’s director of media relations, claims that alligators are more active during breeding season and warns that humans feeding alligators may cause them to lose their fear of people.
This can result in them getting closer to humans. He said, “Hopefully, nobody was feeding this alligator in this RV park, but if that were the case and that alligator has lost its fear of humans, it’s gonna come closer. And whether you have the food or don’t have the food that day, that could be the difference between, you know, what might’ve happened.”
Fisher advises anyone who encounters an alligator to back away rapidly and never turn their back on the creature. It is best to stay away from alligators, but those who are seized should be aware of the animal’s weak points.
“They have some sensitive spots on the body, some nerve endings. Right at the very tip of the nose is a bunch of nerve endings on the nostrils, but the head is all bone,” Fisher said.
