A Florida woman says she was swimming in a ‘foot of water’ with her dog. So was a gator
A dog is fighting for its life in Central Florida after a terrifying encounter with an alligator at Riverside Park in Oviedo last Friday.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by the dog’s owner, Kylee Nyiri, Mako, a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois, underwent surgery for his wounds and has been moved to a University of Florida emergency veterinary service.
“It’s an hour by hour situation because things can go up or down depending on how his body wants to heal, any infection that may happen,” says Nyiri’s page, which had raised more than $17,000 by Friday.
The Florida woman goes on to explain that the attack happened when she was swimming with the dog in “a foot of water” in Little Econ River when the gator grabbed Mako.
Media outlets report that a man in the party jumped on the reptile’s back, but Nyiri doesn’t mention that on the site.
A spokeswoman for the city of Oviedo, Lisa McDonald, told the Miami Herald that no 911 call was made, and park officials did not witness the incident.
“We all jumped on the gator and somehow got it to let him go,” writes Nyiri. “He has five puncture wounds, three broken ribs and a mild hemothorax,” when blood collects between the chest wall and the lung.
On Sunday, trappers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reportedly came out to the park and captured an alligator, which was about 12 feet long, McDonald confirmed.
It’s unclear if that was the same animal involved in the dog attack.
Regardless, the city of Oviedo warned people on its Facebook page.
“Dog owners are highly discouraged from walking their pets near any body of water due to the dense alligator population,” the post said, “especially during alligator mating season.”
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, courtship begins in early April and mating occurs in May or June. If you see an alligator, stay away and call the agency’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.
