An 11-year-old boy from Juniata County is recovering after losing his right hand in an alligator attack while fishing with his father near Orlando, Florida, last month. Brodie and his father were fishing when the boy went to return a fish to the water, and an alligator suddenly emerged, clamping down on his arm.Brodie’s father jumped on the animal to pry its jaws open, but by the time the boy reached the hospital, doctors had to amputate his right hand. Hidden danger in the waterRecent video from Seminole County, Florida illustrates how easily alligators can remain hidden before striking. The footage shows a large alligator submerging itself in murky water near a trailhead in the Little Big Econ State Forest, where a woman was fatally attacked by an alligator last month. “If you’re walking along that bank with your dog or you want to just step in, you’d mistake that for a log or not even notice it at all,” hiker Harry Austin said. Experts warn that even shallow water can conceal alligators, which can attack without warning. “I, like a lot of our friends, have all dipped our feet in the pools on the hot days to cool down, and we get very complacent of that water because it is such a peaceful situation,” Austin said. “Some days you’ll hear, quite frankly, the scariest sound ever—a good gator growl during mating season—where you hear that come from the bank.” Alligator capturedThe Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it captured and killed the nearly 9-foot alligator believed to be responsible for the attack on Brodie.
An 11-year-old boy from Juniata County is recovering after losing his right hand in an alligator attack while fishing with his father near Orlando, Florida, last month.
Brodie and his father were fishing when the boy went to return a fish to the water, and an alligator suddenly emerged, clamping down on his arm.
Brodie’s father jumped on the animal to pry its jaws open, but by the time the boy reached the hospital, doctors had to amputate his right hand.
Hidden danger in the water
Recent video from Seminole County, Florida illustrates how easily alligators can remain hidden before striking. The footage shows a large alligator submerging itself in murky water near a trailhead in the Little Big Econ State Forest, where a woman was fatally attacked by an alligator last month.
“If you’re walking along that bank with your dog or you want to just step in, you’d mistake that for a log or not even notice it at all,” hiker Harry Austin said.
Experts warn that even shallow water can conceal alligators, which can attack without warning.
“I, like a lot of our friends, have all dipped our feet in the pools on the hot days to cool down, and we get very complacent of that water because it is such a peaceful situation,” Austin said. “Some days you’ll hear, quite frankly, the scariest sound ever—a good gator growl during mating season—where you hear that come from the bank.”
Alligator captured
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it captured and killed the nearly 9-foot alligator believed to be responsible for the attack on Brodie.