Gator Severs Florida Boy's Arm
A Florida teenager lost his arm after being attacked by a 10-foot (three meter) long alligator while swimming in a river the southwest of the state, wildlife officials said Tuesday.
Kaleb Langdale, 17, was swimming Monday in the Caloosahatchee River northwest of Miami when he was set upon by the reptile, which severed his right arm below the elbow.
Jorge Pino, a spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, told reporters that the rare attack occurred even though the teen had been in a part of the waterway where swimming is permitted.
"It's rare for wild alligators to bite humans, but anything that makes any splash in the water or any little commotion in the water may attract them," he said.
Pino said wildlife officials were able to track down and kill the gator, extracting the youth's arm but doctors hoping to reattach it found the limb too mangled to save.
The incident comes less than a month after a Florida tour boat operator lost a hand while feeding marshmallows to an alligator to amuse his passengers.
Source: Agence France Presse
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