A man had part of his arm amputated after he was bit by an alligator while swimming early Sunday in a Central Florida lake, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The alligator attack happened shortly before 2 a.m. in Lake Monroe in Seminole County, FWC spokesperson Lauren Claerbout said by email Tuesday afternoon. His arm was later amputated from the elbow down.
Claerbout did not identify the man but said he’d been experiencing homelessness.
Lake Monroe is one of the lakes that make up the St. Johns River system. The city of Sanford is situated along the southern shore while DeBary and Deltona are located along the northern shore.
No other details have been released but the agency is investigating.
The FWC recommends the following precautionary measures near alligators, including in or near water, to reduce chances of conflicts with them:
- Keep a safe distance if you see one. If someone is concerned about an alligator, call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286) and it will dispatch a contracted nuisance alligator trapper to resolve the situation.
- Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.
- Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.
- Never feed an alligator, it’s illegal and dangerous. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food. This can lead to an alligator becoming a nuisance and needing to be removed from the wild.
