Alligator Attack Leaves Man Seriously Injured in Florida

A man was taken to a hospital suffering from serious injuries after he was bitten in the arm by an alligator while walking through a park on Monday afternoon.

The man, William Simmons of Fort Myers, was bitten on Monday while walking in the Wa-Ke Hatchee Park in Lee County, Florida, with the gator causing serious injuries to his left arm, according to local NBC affiliate WFLA.

Following the attack, the man was helped by an unnamed person through the densely wooded area to an access road located nearby, before he was transported to a local hospital by the emergency services.

"He actually was able to get to another person that was in that area, and that person was able to get him some help," Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) officer Adam Brown confirmed to the local station on Tuesday.

The commission told CBS Miami that an alligator trapper has been dispatched to find the gator but has so far not been able to locate the reptile. It is the policy of the commission to remove an alligator deemed a nuisance and relocate it to a remote area away from people.

The commission's website states that an alligator is considered a nuisance in Florida "if it is at least 4 feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property."

Although they do occur, attacks on humans from alligators are rare, and figures by the FWC show that the highest number of bites in a single year is 16, reported in 2001. There were 12 attacks on humans in 2020, but none of them were fatal.

Sightings of alligators across southern U.S. states are common and over the last few months several have been reported, as the reptiles thrive in summer conditions but sometimes remain dormant in winter as the cool temperatures slow down their metabolism.

Earlier in August, a Texas homeowner called the police for assistance after she found a baby alligator swimming in her hot tub, with the local authorities joking that "the suspect resisted at first but was soon arrested and later released without further incident."

In July, an alligator in Florida approached a home in the middle of the night and refused to leave, with the creature thrashing and rolling in an attempt to avoid capture before being taken away from the property.

Newsweek has contacted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission for comment.