MYAKKA CITY (WSNN) – A Sarasota man was taken to hospital after he was attacked by an alligator in Myakka City, Wednesday night.
UPDATE: FWC tells SNN the victim was swimming in the water when the gator bit his arm. Trappers have removed two gators from the area. But they cannot confirm if the animals were related to the incident. The trapping efforts continue.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reports an alligator bit 43-year-old Eric Merda, near Lake Manatee Fish Camp, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
The FWC, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and Manatee County EMS all responded, and took Merda to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital with serious injuries to his arm.
A nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to the scene.
The FWC is currently investigating this incident.
“I’ve been in Florida all my life, and fished for a lot of my life and alligators have always been part of the equation, you leave them alone and they leave you alone,” said Fisherman, Gary Sharpe.
FWC, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, and Manatee County EMS all responded, and took Merda to the hospital with serious injuries to his arm. A nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to the scene.
“If you live in Florida, and you have a body of water next to you, it’s got a gator in it, at least one,” said Owner of Matthew’s Wildlife Rescue, Justin Mathews.
Suncoast Wildlife Rescuer, Justin Matthews says once an alligator is fed, it’s ruined and he offers advice on how to determine when an alligator may be putting you in danger.
“If you see an alligators head out there everything is fine, but when you’re next to the edge of the water and see an alligator turn towards you, that alligator has been fed, and I hate to see it but they do have to be killed because they are super dangerous when someone throws food to them,” said Matthews.
“There’s large alligators out here, especially back out here in the creek and up there towards Verna Bethany, there’s larger alligators they’re very timid though, no one comes out here and feeds them though, it’s not like they’ve lost fear of human, this is definitely being a protective of their nest kind of deal, it’s the time of the year,” said Suncoast Resident, Justin Brown.
FWC says alligators tend to become more active during the warmer months when temperatures are between 82 and 92 degrees. Female alligators deposit their eggs in Late June or Early July, with eggs hatching around August or September each year.
According to the FWC, an alligator is deemed a nuisance “if it is at least 4 feet in length and the caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.”
If you see an alligator, officials say you should keep your distance and not feed it. To report a nuisance alligator, call the FWC’s toll-free hotline at 866-392-4286.
