Football season already?
"Alligator bites off arm of Florida teen" Associated Press, July 11, 2012
MOORE HAVEN, Fla. — A 10-foot alligator bit off the arm of a teenage swimmer, state wildlife officials said Tuesday.
Kaleb Langdale, 17, survived the encounter Monday in the Caloosahatchee River west of Lake Okeechobee. Wildlife officers caught and killed the alligator to retrieve the arm, but doctors were unable to reattach it.
‘‘We were able to kill the alligator and dissect the alligator, remove the arm, and transport the arm to the hospital to see if the doctors could reattach the limb,’’ said Jorge Pino, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman....
The Glades County area where Langdale was swimming is known to have several large alligators in it, Pino said.
Alligators are more active this time of year because it is their mating season, which makes them more aggressive and inquisitive as they are looking for food and for mates.
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"Fla. man who lost hand charged with feeding gator" Associated Press, July 30, 2012
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. — A Florida airboat captain who lost his hand to a 9-foot alligator — after allegedly luring it with fish — faces charges of feeding the animal....
Wildlife officers tracked and euthanized the gator. Weatherholt’s hand was found but could not be reattached. A criminal investigation followed into whether Weatherholt had provoked the attack....
Officials said feeding the reptiles is illegal because it can cause them to lose their natural fear of humans and make them more likely to approach and potentially attack people.
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