In Lake Monroe in central Florida, an alligator attacked a man, leaving him with an amputated limb.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), a homeless man was swimming in a Seminole County lake just before 2 a.m. EST when an alligator attacked him. The FWC, which is investigating the circumstances surrounding the assault, said human-alligator confrontations are very rare in Florida. The probability of a Florida citizen suffering a significant injury in an unprovoked alligator event in the state is around one in 3.1 million.
Most alligator assaults happen when the reptile, which may have been fed by people in the past, confuses humans for prey. Unprovoked alligator attacks amounted to eight incidents each year between 2012 and 2022, with one of those incidents being “serious enough to require professional medical treatment.” Reporting that the odds of an unprovoked gator assault are extremely rare could encourage people to enter bodies of water where the presence of an alligator is possible. And you’re relying on what an alligator thinks is “unprovoked.”
Tragically, human casualties have been reported in 26 cases, which is 5.7% of all gator attacks where victims survived. The Florida Water Control Commission advises that people avoid swimming in undesignated areas between nightfall and morning if they want to lessen the likelihood of an encounter with an alligator.
Suppose you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of being attacked by an alligator or crocodile. In that case, the FWC advises that you resist the assault by making a lot of noise, striking, kicking, or even poking the animal in the eyes.
All 67 of Florida’s counties are home to roughly 1.3 million gators, which may be seen in fresh and brackish water and even in saltwater on occasion. The alligator-human conflict is projected to increase in frequency as the population and dwellings develop rapidly.
Additionally, alligator and human activity tends to ramp up in the spring and summer.
