Overview
- A juvenile fishing at Nelson's Fish Camp in Umatilla was bitten on the hand by an 8-foot-7-inch alligator, a report that officials say occurred on Saturday and led to the child being taken to a hospital for treatment.
- FWC says the 8-foot-7-inch alligator involved in the Umatilla attack was subsequently killed and the agency has opened an active investigation into the incident.
- Earlier in the week a snorkeler in the Rainbow River in Dunnellon was bitten by an 8-foot-3-inch alligator, was hospitalized, and has since been released, making two confirmed bite incidents in Central Florida within seven days.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission urged residents to never feed alligators, to keep distance from them, to swim only in designated daytime areas, to keep pets leashed and away from shorelines, and to report threats to the Nuisance Alligator Hotline or SNAP.
- FWC’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program uses contracted trappers to remove animals that pose a threat while conserving alligators in natural areas and officials note that seasonal behavior such as mating can raise alligator activity.