An alligator bit a man in Sanibel, Florida, Thursday morning as he washed his hands in a pond, causing severe injury, according to officials.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, managed to extract himself from the alligator’s mouth and subsequently dialed the police, CBS reported. Witnesses applied a tourniquet to his right forearm, and Lee County Emergency Medical Service (EMS) transported him to a local hospital, according to a press release from the City of Sanibel. (RELATED: Gigantic Alligator Filmed Roaming The Woods In Georgia In Crazy Viral Video)
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A Florida man was seriously injured when he was bitten by an alligator in a pond in Sanibel on Thursday, officials said in a statement.#Florida #Alligator #US #Social pic.twitter.com/pss8VTaNTt
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 16, 2022
A Florida State trapper and Florida Fish and Wildlife, along with the help of several Florida police departments and Lee County EMS, are trying to capture the alligator.
While alligator attacks are uncommon, from 2011 to 2021 there were eight recorded unprovoked bites per year in the state that needed medical care, according to a fact sheet from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Prior to that, from 1948 to 2021, there were 442 recorded unprovoked bites in Florida, 26 of which resulted in a death, the fact sheet continued.