Woman used her body as a shield against alligator to save her dog

A woman in Pinellas County, Florida had been out walking her dog on a leash near a neighborhood pond late last week, when a seven-foot alligator jumped out of the shallow water towards her dog. The woman stepped in front of the gator to protect her dog from a certain death.

According to Fox13 Tampa, a neighbor who witnessed the attack immediately called 911. The woman suffered serious injuries to her leg after the alligator bit her as she slipped and fell, News reports indicate the woman was bitten below the knee, and first responders rushed the victim to the hospital.

The large alligator had been spotted by several people in the neighborhood; it appeared as if someone had been feeding it because the gator came out of the pond when police arrived. Children in the neighborhood had also been teasing the animal.

The alligator was removed. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that alligators are more prevalent in May, June and July, as this is their breeding time. They are most active at dusk and dawn. The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program handles all complaints that pose themselves as public threats.

Most times relocating an alligator doesn’t work since they always try to return to where they were captured. Attacks are rare, and people are reminded that little alligators grow up – DON’T FEED THEM. Stay away from ponds and lakes – they do prefer freshwater lakes and wetlands and best of all like standing water.

(Photos screen shots via Fox 13 Tampa YouTube)

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