Friends were able to pull a 31-year-old woman from the Econlockhatchee River on Sunday, June 28 after an alligator bit off one of her arms, and fearfully watched for the animal as they tried to stem bleeding from the attack, according to 911 calls.
The woman, who died on the way to the hospital, was kneeling in about 3 feet of water with her friend and boyfriend when the attack occurred, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Her identity was not released as of Monday afternoon.
“She’s awake, she’s awake, she’s breathing. I’m watching for the gator right now. He’s going away,” said a friend to the 911 dispatcher.
“How bad is the bite?” the dispatcher asked.
“Horrible. One of her arms is completely off. One is attached barely.”
A nuisance alligator trapper was called to the scene and the entrance to the trailhead was closed. The scene wasn’t cleared until 7:30 p.m. FWC said the investigation is still active.
As of Monday afternoon, two alligators were caught and killed. One was 12-feet-long, the second was 13-feet long. DNA analysis was taken from the two alligators and will be tested in Gainesville to see if either is the alligator that attacked the woman.
During mating season in Florida, alligators are territorial
FWC officials said the Econlockhatchee River was low because of an ongoing drought.
“With low water levels that we have, we are coming to the end of mating season and they are very territorial,” a spokesman said. “It’s hard to speculate on the gator’s intentions. It doesn’t seem out of the question that it was a bite and release incident.”
The attack that led to the woman’s death was the second alligator-related incident on Sunday. Earlier in the day, a boy fishing from the shore at Nelson’s Fish Camp in Marion County was bitten on the hand by a more than 8-foot alligator. WESH TV reported that the alligator was killed after the incident.
The two attacks Sunday follow one on June 21 where a snorkeler was bitten by an alligator in the Rainbow River near Dunnellon in Marion County. FWC said in the incident with the snorkeler that the alligator was found by a contracted alligator trapper and killed.
“Living in Florida there are alligators in every body of water,” said an FWC spokesman at a press conference on Monday about the fatal Sunday attack. “I’m not sure if there are signs there, but there is some risk when you swim in the bodies of water in the state of Florida.”
In a 12-minute call to 911, the friend of the 31-year-old who died says that they are about 12 minutes from the entrance of the Barr Street Trailhead in Oviedo, northeast of Orlando. At one point she runs breathlessly toward the entrance to flag down emergency vehicles but then returns to her friend when the dispatcher says they have pinpointed her location.
“Is the bleeding serious,” the dispatcher asks during the call.
“It’s horrible. It’s severe,” the caller responds.
“Do you know where the other arm is?”
“It’s gone,” the caller says.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: 911 calls in Florida alligator attack reflect horror, desperate pleas
Reporting by Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Ocala Star-Banner
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida | USA TODAY Network
