A Florida man was hospitalized last week after an alligator bit him in the face.
The FWC did not disclose the extent of La Verde’s injuries. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue transported the victim to Tampa General Hospital for treatment, according toUSA Today.
Tampa General Hospital did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
A nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to Lake Thonotosassa following the incident, according to the FWC. (Lake Thonotosassa is located about 30 miles outside of Tampa.)
File image of an alligator.Getty
The FWC says it is leading an investigation into last Wednesday’s incident.
Though rare, alligator attacks are not unheard of in Florida. The state recorded 442 unprovoked alligator bite incidents between 1948 to 2021,the FWC saidin November 2021. Of those instances, 26 were fatal.
At least three people have died in alligator attacks in 2022 alone, including two people in Florida.
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In July, an 80-year-old woman was killed in an alligator attack after she fell into a lake on a golf course near her Florida home, according toUSA Today.
Prior to 2022, a fatal alligator attack had not occurred in Florida since 2019, according todata from the FWC. The last time two or more fatal attacks occurred in Florida in one year was 16 years ago, in 2006.
Around 1.3 million alligators live in Florida, according tothe FWC’s website. In 2021, nearly 9,500 nuisance alligators — described as being at least 4 feet in length and posing “a threat to people, pets or property” —were killedin the state.
Under the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP), the FWC aims “to proactively address alligator threats in developed areas, while conserving alligators in areas where they naturally occur.”
Anyone concerned about a nuisance alligator in Florida is asked to call the FWC’s toll-free hotline at 866-392-4286.
source: people.com
