Posted on 04/24/2024 8:54:44 AM PDT by Twotone
A Florida man is being hailed as a hero after using his truck to run over an alligator that was dragging his neighbor into a pond in Collier County.
Walter Rudder said he was driving his truck when he saw his friend and neighbor, Rick Fingeret, being attacked by an alligator in his neighborhood in Naples.
“Driving, and we saw a man laying on the ground, waving his arms. We pulled over, and I got out of the car and saw that an alligator had him by the leg,” Rudder said. “It was dragging him into the pond.”
Rudder says his friend, who is 67 years old, begged him to run over the alligator in hopes that it would release his leg. The plan worked. Sign up for the Blaze newsletter By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content that may sometimes include advertisements. You may opt out at any time.
The alligator released the man and went back into the pond.
The recording of the call to 911 was obtained by the Naples Daily News. Fingeret can be heard on the recording say that there's "two big bites" in his thigh. A woman at the scene wrapped a shirt his thigh and then turned on her hazard lights to wait for emergency personnel to arrive. It took them about six minutes to get to Fingeret.
Fingeret was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers to be treated for his injuries. He said that he had been walking his two Labrador dogs when he was attacked and that they never left his side throughout the entire ordeal.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission had trappers relocate the alligator after capturing it. They measured it at 11 feet long.
Fingeret later told WINK-TV that he had hit the alligator on the head several times, but the animal only bit down harder.
“Alarming is what I would say,” Rudder said simply.
The commission used the incident to remind residents in Florida that alligator mating season runs from May until June and attacks are more likely during that time. They cautioned residents to stay away from bodies of water, keep their pets on leashes, and never approach alligators.
On average, there are about seven unprovoked alligator attacks on humans every year in Florida. Very few attacks lead to fatalities, and most victims are male.
Bama fans ain’t be afraid of the gators since 2008.
Feeding them? I think they do a pretty good job of that all by themselves!
when are they going to be hunted and killed
What is wrong with people that they let wild animals in their backyards. For pete’s sake leave them in the everglades.
well then why aren’t they being shot and killed??
They make good boots and handbags.
For pete’s sake leave them in the everglades.
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Good point. I was at a conference at the OCCC a few years ago..... was walking over one morning on the walkway leading from our rented condo at the Vista Cay and basically came around a corner and stumbled over one basking in the morning sunshine....
““Relocate”?! Why didn’t they put it down! That thing is dangerous.”
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Yeah, relocate to the shoe factory.
O, he was NOT “elderly, I’m 2 years older than him and I’m NOT elderly consarn it!
You’d be surprised....tourists thinks feeding alligators is a fun thing to do......problem is when they get accustomed to being around people is when they get dangerous.....or MORE dangerous anyway.
“that doesn’t mean you won’t face an inquisition afterwards”
Just like always.....I’d rather be tried by 12 than carried by 6. 😏
That’s the first thing I thought. What the heck? In Louisiana it would be dead by now.
Oh that doesn’t surprise me. I just don’t personally need to have a rule to tell me not to do that. I’ve avoided winning a Darwin Award so far in my life and I want to keep that streak alive so to speak.
I’m thinking Chevy, but I am biased...
They are in TX, sort of. You can take 1 a year. I don’t hunt them, though.
Years ago we rented a house in the St. Pete area that had a canal running along the back of the property. Made sure everyone stayed away from the edge in daylight and out of the backyard at night. I can live with deer, coyotes, bobcats, and even wolves or black bears. But big submerged reptiles coasting past the back yard made me nervous.
If a dog did that it would be put down. Unless it was Biden’s dog, then it would have umpteen excuses accepted.
A distant relative was visiting his mother in Florida many years ago. He decided to go fishing, as he’d seen a dock nearby. As he walked up to it he saw an alligator laying on it sunning itself. He was about to turn around when a middle-aged lady came walking by. “You aren’t going to let that gator stop you from fishing, are you?” With that she walked up & kicked the alligator in the tail. (I think it was at least a 6 footer.) It dropped off into the water & the lady proceeded on her walk. The relative turned around & went home. No more enthusiasm for fishing there.
How did the gator survive being run over by a truck? Or did the truck just run over its tail?
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