Alligator bites 79-year-old during early-morning walk in Florida golf community, cops say
An alligator attacked a 79-year-old man as he took an early-morning walk in a Florida golf community, officials said.
The man was flown to a hospital after the nearly 7-foot reptile “came up and bit him in the leg,” according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
The attack was reported just after 5 a.m. Thursday, July 13. Deputies told McClatchy News in an email that it happened in the Naples area’s Forest Glen Golf & Country Club community.
A person who answered a phone number for Forest Glen Golf & Country Club on July 13 told a McClatchy News reporter the club had no comment.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the sheriff’s office said a deputy on scene gave first aid to the man, who suffered at least one leg injury but later was discharged from the hospital.
“A second deputy spotted the gator leaving the scene and heading toward a nearby lake,” deputies wrote in a news release. “The deputy kept eyes on the gator and was able to tell a trapper where it was located.”
The female alligator was caught and taken away from the area. The animal, which was “being live transferred to a licensed alligator farm,” measured 6 feet, 9 inches, the wildlife commission told McClatchy News in an email.
While female alligators often don’t grow longer than 10 feet, several males in Florida were found to be over 14 feet. The creatures can live throughout the state, often near lakes and rivers, the wildlife commission wrote on its website.
Though serious alligator attacks are rare in Florida, the sheriff’s office encourages people to be alert.
“CCSO urges residents to be cautious around bodies of water and vegetation where an alligator could have a nest,” deputies wrote. “It was not known if this female gator had a nest near where the attack occurred. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn, so plan accordingly to reduce the chances of running into them.”
Other tips to avoid gator encounters include swimming during the daytime in designated areas and making sure pets don’t go near bodies of water, experts say.
Naples is on the Gulf Coast of Florida, roughly 40 miles south of Fort Myers.
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