Florida is home to some of the best outdoor recreation in the country.
But danger is always lurking in the wild.
And a kayaker’s lazy day on a Florida river went wrong fast after this bad situation.
Florida kayaker is attacked by an alligator
There are more than 1.3 million alligators living in Florida.
Alligators could be in any body of freshwater in the state.
A Florida man and woman were kayaking with a large group at Lake Kissimmee State Park in Lake Wales, Florida, when tragedy struck.
They were attacked by an alligator that was lurking in the water near the Tiger Creek Canal where they were “paddling.”
The alligator bit the woman on the arm and ripped the lifejacket off the man.
A man in the group called 911 after the attack from the state park.
“The animal disappeared, but it might not be that far away,” the man told 911.
He initially thought the other man had been bitten on the leg by the alligator while the woman was bitten on the arm.
But only the woman had suffered a bite from the alligator.
“We can’t move her,” the man stated. “Her arm is really badly damaged.”
The woman was partially stuck in the water, and the group of kayakers could not move her back onto her kayak or get her out of the water.
“If there was a ramp, we would be golden, but we are in the marshy area, and she is half in the boat, and they got her mostly out of the water,” the man said.
The man noted that the injured woman’s pulse was dropping fast.
“She is in real pain; she is in a lot of pain,” the man stated.
The 911 dispatcher suggested making a tourniquet for the woman’s arm.
“Nobody really wants to get into the water,” the man said. “The gator might still be there.”
The lifejacket the alligator had ripped off was still floating in the water.
It took 45 minutes, but members of the Polk County Fire Rescue personnel and The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived in an airboat.
The woman was airlifted to a local hospital.
Dangerous alligator is neutralized
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission called in a local trapper to find the nuisance alligator.
The eight-foot, four-inch-long alligator that was responsible for the attack was found and euthanized by the trapper.
Alligator expert Brandon Fisher said the reptiles typically avoid kayaks and boats.
“If you’re out on a kayak, canoe, or boat, you just have to be aware of your surroundings and not approach these animals,” Fisher explained.
The alligator could have felt that the kayak was a threat.
“They are apex predators and will defend themselves,” Fisher added. “It’s Florida; we know there are alligators, and it’s bound to happen at some point. Unfortunately, accidents happen, and we never want to see this happen for either party.”
Alligator attacks are rare, but Floridians must be aware of their surroundings every time they go in freshwater.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
