Overview

• Christiane Salvador, 64, was paddling with 19 others on March 3 when an eight-foot female alligator snapped her paddle and clamped onto her right upper arm.
• Her kayak flipped and the gator nearly severed her arm at the elbow before a fellow kayaker freed her by poking the reptile in the eyes.
• Medical teams saved Salvador’s arm and doctors have scheduled multiple reconstructive surgeries and physical therapy to restore its function.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigators tracked down and euthanized the gator identified in the report.
• Reptile expert Kim Titterington attributes the attack to defensive behavior during mating and nesting season when female alligators guard hatchlings.