Alligator Bites off Man’s Leg in Florida RV Park

Written by Mike Edmisten
Updated: August 10, 2023
Share on:

Advertisement


A 72-year-old man in a Florida RV park suffered a vicious alligator attack on April 14. The alligator bit off the man’s right leg.

The attack occurred around 1:50 p.m. at the Great Outdoors RV Resort in Titusville, Florida. Titusville is located in Brevard County, a little less than an hour east of Orlando.

alligator with its mouth hanging open

An alligator bit off a man’s leg in Titusville, Florida, on April 14.

©Deborah Ferrin/Shutterstock.com

The victim was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, where his injured leg was amputated below the knee. The man was staying at the RV park with his wife and dog, unharmed in the incident.

Officers from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Brevard County sheriff’s deputies were called to the scene. They spotted a large alligator with a human foot protruding from its mouth. Officers fired at least four rifle shots, killing the alligator. A smaller alligator surfaced and was also shot by the officers. The victim’s leg and foot were recovered from the water.

Reporters from WESH captured the scene from a news helicopter, seen in the video below.

FWC continues investigating the incident, including what may have prompted the alligator to attack the man.

Active Alligators

Florida’s alligators are more active this time of year. The breeding season for alligators typically begins at the end of March or early April.

Alligators also feed more as the weather warms. Gators are ectothermic or cold-blooded, meaning their body temperature is dictated by the temperature of their environment. As the weather heats up in the spring, their metabolism increases, and they need to feed more often.

Don’t Feed The Gators 

Officials also fear the possibility that guests in the large RV park may have started feeding the alligators. The park is 2,800 acres in size, with over 20 lakes, along with more than 900 campsites. There is certainly ample opportunity for guests to illegally feed the alligators in the park.

Feeding wild animals such as alligators causes them to lose their natural fear of humans. Instead, they begin to see people as a source of food and are willing to come close to humans to be fed. This can lead to disastrous consequences, both for humans and the animals themselves.

The investigation is ongoing, and there is no clear evidence that the park’s guests had fed this alligator. It is, however, one possible explanation being investigated by wildlife officers. 

Feeding alligators is illegal and extremely dangerous.

Feeding alligators is illegal and extremely dangerous.

©Tande/Shutterstock.com

Alligator Population

The United States has the largest alligator population in the world. Of the ten U.S. states with native alligators, Florida has the second-greatest number of gators, with an estimated population of 1.3 million. The state trails only Louisiana, which boasts an alligator population of over two million.

Gator Attacks

While the recent incident in Titusville was horrific, gator attacks are relatively rare. There have been just over 400 documented alligator bites in Florida since 1948. Many of those attacks were proven to result from alligator provocation, where the gator felt threatened or had been desensitized to humans through feeding. 

Though attacks are rare, they obviously can and do happen. Alligators are surprisingly fast. They can run up to 30 miles per hour on land and swim up to 20 miles per hour. 

Alligators strike their prey with lightning speed. Their strong jaws give them a bite force of up to 2,980 pounds per square inch (PSI), one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom.

Alligator in Swamp

Alligator attacks are rare, but they do happen.

©Thierry Eidenweil/Shutterstock.com

Staying Safe in Gator Country

Florida’s alligators often live near population centers and recreational areas, meaning human/gator encounters are inevitable. People can take steps to stay safe in regions populated by alligators.

Keep pets on a leash and away from bodies of water. Alligators can mistake pets for prey animals. Large alligators feed on small mammals, but will also target larger animals such as deer. There are even documented cases of alligators preying on Florida panthers and black bears. Keeping pets away from bodies of water greatly reduces your chances of an alligator encounter.

Another safety tip: only swim in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. Alligators are most active from dusk to dawn. Never swim with a pet.

Never tease or provoke an alligator. As stated earlier, alligators can move with amazing speed and agility. They can run and swim faster than any human. Provoking an alligator is stupid and reckless and can lead to disaster.

As noted above, never feed an alligator. It is illegal and extremely dangerous.

alligator

Keep your pets away from water where gators are known to reside.

©Danita Delimont/Shutterstock.com

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Alex Pankratov


Share on:
About the Author

Mike is a writer at A-Z Animals where his primary focus is on geography, agriculture, and marine life. A graduate of Cincinnati Christian University and a resident of Cincinnati, OH, Mike is deeply passionate about the natural world. In his free time, he, his wife, and their two sons love the outdoors, especially camping and exploring US National Parks.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.