A child was hospitalized after being savagely attacked by an alligator while swimming in a Florida lake on Labor Day.
The kid, whose age and sex were not released, was mauled on the arm and leg by the gator — which was estimated to be between 9 and 12 feet long, Hernando County Sheriff’s Office revealed.
The youngster was stranded on a sandbar in the Weeki Wachee Preserve with several other children Monday afternoon, and couldn’t make it back to the mainland.
A child was bitten by an approximately 9- to 12-foot alligator while swimming at the Weeki Wachee Preserve in Weeki Wachee, Florida, on Monday. Hernando County Fire Rescue
They ultimately had to be rescued by Hernando County Fire Rescue – who used an airboat to retrieve them and also provided medical care.
The hurt kid was rushed to Bayonet Point Hospital with non-life-threatening “puncture” injuries, the county sheriff’s office said.
A licensed Florida wildlife trapper responded to the scene and placed traps in the hopes of capturing the beast responsible for the attack.
Officials reiterated the warning for people to obey posted rules at waterways in the state and to exercise extreme caution.
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“Do not swim in areas where swimming is prohibited,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Weeki Wachee Preserve spans over 11,200 acres in west-central Florida, and is located about 50 miles north of Tampa.
Southwest Florida Water Management District says of the preserve on its website “no swimming allowed in any of the lakes.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) responded and is handling the investigation related to the alleged swimming violation, police said.