A child was hospitalized after being attacked by an alligator at a Florida preserve where swimming is forbidden.
The juvenile, whose age and gender authorities have not disclosed, suffered bites to the arm and leg from a gator estimated at 9 to 12 feet long, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said. The attack occurred Monday afternoon at the Weeki Wachee Preserve, a sprawling 11,200-acre tract roughly 50 miles north of Tampa.
The youngster had become stranded on a sandbar with several other children and could not reach the mainland, according to the sheriff’s office. Hernando County Fire Rescue deployed an airboat to retrieve the group from the water.
The injured child was transported to Bayonet Point Hospital with injuries officials described as non-life-threatening. The other children involved in the incident were not reported harmed.
A licensed Florida wildlife trapper responded to the scene and set traps intended to capture the alligator responsible. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has opened an investigation into the swimming violation, which carries strict prohibition at the preserve.
“Do not swim in areas where swimming is prohibited,” the sheriff’s office warned in a statement following the attack.
The Labor Day incident marks another dangerous encounter between humans and alligators in Florida’s restricted waterways. Officials have repeatedly cautioned visitors to heed posted regulations at the state’s aquatic sites and to remain vigilant near water where the reptiles are known to inhabit.
The Weeki Wachee Preserve, situated in west-central Florida, encompasses over 11,200 acres of protected land. The area’s natural habitat provides prime territory for alligators, which can grow to substantial sizes and pose significant threats to humans who enter the water.
The sheriff’s office emphasized that posted rules at Florida waterways exist to protect public safety, urging extreme caution even in areas where water activities are permitted. The FWC investigation into Monday’s prohibited swimming violation continues as authorities monitor the traps set for the attacking gator.
The child remained hospitalized following the attack with injuries that, while serious, were not considered life-threatening by medical personnel at Bayonet Point Hospital.