(RightIsRight.co) – In a truly tragic and horrifying incident that put his life at risk, a fisherman was attacked by a 9-foot alligator when the animal lunged at him from a golf course pond in Leesburg, Florida.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the gator launched a vicious attack on the man and bit his hand off while he was fishing in a pond within the Pennbrooke Fairways neighborhood.
Eyewitness Ron Priest observed the entire moment from his backyard and described the horrifying scene, “While the guy was on the ground, the gator got the guy in the hand, and the two rolled.”
The gator’s powerful jaws ensnared the victim while attempting to reel in a fish. “The gator was after [the] fish, and what we don’t know is if the guy was trying to unhook the fish,” Priest speculated.
As the incident happened, witnesses started calling the emergency lines seeking aid for the fisherman. “There is a gator attacking a man in my backyard!” one distressed caller exclaimed. Another caller while recounting the horrible scene, informed the dispatcher, “Yes, he took his hand off.”
Shortly after, help arrived at the scene and found the victim grievously injured and his hand extremely damaged. The severity of the situation prompted a medical airlift to transport the wounded individual to an Orlando hospital.
As for the victim’s dismembered hand, Priest revealed, “It’s my understanding that [FWC] can’t dispose of a human part. It has to be sent to a medical facility, and so, in the odd chance that it could have been re-attached, they drove it to Orlando.”
In accordance with established protocol for gators that pose a threat to humans, the FWC considered it necessary to euthanize the aggressive reptile.
However, the Commission urged caution around alligators and advised the public to maintain a safe distance and promptly report sightings or encounters to 866-FWC-GATOR.
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