Woman dies after alligator bites off her arm in Florida river

[marmar]

(NBC News) A 31-year-old Florida woman died after an alligator bit off one of her arms and mauled the other at a state park near Orlando, authorities and a 911 call revealed Monday.

The victim had been hiking with her boyfriend and her best friend Sunday in Little Big Eco State Forest when they waded into the Econlockhatchee River to cool off, said Grant Eller, a lieutenant with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

They were kneeling in 3-foot-deep water when the alligator suddenly attacked around 1:30 p.m. and bit her arms, Eller said.

Her boyfriend was still “trying to get her arms away from the alligator’s mouth” when he called 911 for help, Eller said. ......................(more)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-dies-alligator-bites-arm-florida-river-rcna352260

[Ritabert]

1. There are an estimated 1 million gators in Florida so swimming in fresh water is a no-no

[Ritabert]

4. Salt water isn't totally safe what with flesh-eating bacteria..

...sharks and some crocodiles who hang out near the Turkey Point nuclear power plant but it's not as dangerous as fresh water.

[wyn borkins]

2. marmar: Perhaps Soften the Title Ever-So-Slightly (???)

Florida Woman Dies After Alligator Attack

[The Blue Flower]

3. I grew up in central Florida

You should always assume there are gators in any body of water. What a terrible way to die.

[Ritabert]

5. I hear there are thousands in Lake Kissimmee alone.

[The Blue Flower]

9. Orlando used to be called the City of a Thousand Lakes

And they all have multiple gators in them.

[Ritabert]

11. Interesting.

[Wonder Why]

18. Now it's the city of 10,000 swimming pools- with multiple gators in all of them.

[Totally Tunsie]

17. This was one of the first things I was advised when I moved to South Carolina also.

So far, it seems to be quite true, and I have no reason to think it will change.

[sop]

6. All natural bodies of fresh water in Florida are potential habitats for alligators and poisonous snakes.

Warm freshwater can also harbor brain-eating amoeba, an organism that enters the body through the nose and is almost entirely fatal. And since most natural lakes are not chemically treated, toxic algae blooms can cause skin rashes, eye irritation, or respiratory issues. Swimmers (and waders) should stick to ocean beaches, treated swimming pools and constantly-flowing natural springs.

[allegorical oracle]

12. In cities (like Orlando) people insist on tossing food to gators. That is a fatal no-no. Gators

basically have the same IQ as Trump -- and they will punish people who don't reward them.

[underpants]

7. That'll do it.

🕯️

[RANDYWILDMAN]

8. I stayed at a nice hotel in Orlando as kid

the resort did not mess around they putt up snow fencing at night and with huge lighting rigs to keep the gators out, this was back in the 80's

[allegorical oracle]

10. Fla freshwaters are especially hazardous in June and July -- when gators mate, nest, and

the hatchlings come out. Springheads are safe to swim, but isolated downstream areas can be dangerous. Key is to stay in populated areas. Gators don't like crowds/noise.

[misanthrope]

20. Key is to stay out of Florida.**nm

**

[Tommy Carcetti]

13. Rule of thumb for alligators in Florida is a little more nuanced then what people generally say

The saying goes “Every body of fresh water in Florida has a gator in it.”

In reality it’s not quite that simple, although if you want to play it super safe, by all means go by that saying.

Every body of fresh water could potentially have a gator in it. However, many bodies of water go for long stretches of time without ever seeing one, while others will have dozens on a daily basis.

I have a moderately large lake behind my house. I’ve lived at my house for 9 years now, and in that time span I’ve seen a grand total of 4 gators. With the most recent one being 6 years ago. Nonetheless I always keep my dog on a leash and away from the edge of the water just to be safe.

Florida has a multitude of freshwater springs which I love to visit and swim in. I have actually swum in the springs literally hundreds of times in my life. The water in the springs is crystal clear and they all have designated areas where you can and cannot swim. I have yet to see a gator once in a designated swim area in any spring I’ve been in. That’s not to say they can’t go in there and I’ve heard on rare occasions where they have been spotted, but it’s not a frequent issue and they tend to stay far away from crowded swim areas like the springs.

There are also lakes that have swim areas and sometimes less clear water. If they’re guarded, open and well populated you probably won’t deal with gators there, either. Although sometimes there’s issues with bacteria during summer months if the water gets too warm (unlike the springs which are always 68-72 degrees year round).

But there are also areas that are hot spots for gators where they are as thick as flies. Paynes Prairie, Apopka Drive, Lake Jessup, Myaka River, Shark Valley. But no one swims in those areas out of common sense.

It sounds like where this happened was one of those hot spots where gators congregated heavily. It’s sad that this woman died but it sounds like she decided to go in the water in this one place that most people knew very well not to swim.

Contrary to popular belief, gators do not actively hunt or seek out to attack full sized humans. Australian salt crocodiles might but American alligators don’t. I’ve walked within 5 feet of full sized gators at Shark Valley in the Everglades and they honestly couldn’t care less.

The only times alligators might attack a grown human is if it’s a mother protecting its nest, if you intentionally agitate or provoke one, or if you literally stumble across one and startle it. I’m not sure what happened here, but alligator attacks are extremely, extremely rare.

Don’t feed them, don’t provoke them, don’t swim in a well-known “hot spots”, and keep your pets and small children away from the edges of water and you’ll be fine. Just respect them and give them their space.

[flvegan]

14. And then a trapper killed two gators "near the scene"

Seems reasonable if you're an idiot. Gators? In or near a river? In Florida? In June? Un-fucking-possible! Kill the ones you find, maybe one of them is the culprit, guilty of simply being an alligator in is/her natural habitat. Habitat which, people should probably stay the fuck out of when its just a good idea.

Sorry for the woman's death, and for her loved ones (and those that witnessed this horror). But this is a stupid (but typical) attempt at a solution.

[TBF]

15. My husband is native to Miami -

he has warned me even here in Houston, TX to be very careful on our neighborhood trails because our retention ponds do ultimately empty out in larger nearby waterways. I will not walk near the water at night with my dog if I'm alone because I'm over 50 and I know there have been incidents with older ladies in FL when walking dogs (which could attract a gator if they're hungry). My dog is a good 80 lbs., but some of those gators are pretty big and make me very nervous.

I grew up in Wisconsin & we were in and out of small lakes all the time - but in that climate swift currents are probably the biggest threat. I absolutely love water but also respect everything that lives within and the power of the water as well.

[multigraincracker]

16. We hired a guide to go bass fishing in the

Everglades
When I saw all the big gators on shore, I asked the guide what to do if I fell in. He said don’t splash.

[róisín_dubh]

19. I'm a Yankee and have been in FL

A grand total of 7 times in my life. My uncle and my dad winter on the west coast and when I visited once, both warned me that, if I was going out for a run, not to stray off the sidewalk and to keep my wits about me (I am a space cadet).

In no universe would I swim in a lake in Florida or anywhere in the South really. Garfish are quite scary enough, thanks.