Posted on 06/20/2022 7:58:17 AM PDT by Red Badger
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (TND) — In what must have been a terrible surprise, a north Florida man reportedly says a monstrous alligator exploded out of the water and devoured his beloved pet while they were playing fetch.
Josh Wells tells the Tallahassee Democrat he was with his 40-pound black Labrador Retriever mix, named "Toby," on a nature trail in early June when the attack happened.
Toby was reportedly standing in shallow water near the trail when he was grabbed, head first, by the gator. Wells says he and Toby were playing fetch with a tennis ball at the time.
Boom, the water just sort of exploded," Wells says to the newspaper. "He never barked. He never saw it... It took him down like it was nothing.
Wells only stopped himself from chasing down and grabbing the gator after seeing how large it was, he reportedly recounts.
A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) incident report reveals the gator who ate Toby was a little bit more than nine feet long, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
The area where Wells and his dog were playing is reportedly known to be a popular area where neighborhood kids play in the water.
There’s cul-de-sacs, you’re not expecting a gator to come out and eat your dog," Wells reportedly tells the newspaper. Trappers with Florida's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) were reportedly able to locate and euthanize the gator who killed Toby and were even able to retrieve the beloved pet's remains so that Wells could bury them.
Toby's death comes just weeks after a 47-year-old man was presumably attacked and killed by an alligator while he was searching for a frisbee near water in Florida.
Alligator attacks in Florida are said to be rare by FWC, but the organization warns people should still be vigilant.
Although many Floridians have learned to coexist with alligators, the potential for conflict always exists. Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida," says Florida Fish and Wildlife on its website. "Remember, never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one. Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water. FWC estimates there are about 1.3 million gators in Florida, and they all become more active in the spring and summer when their metabolism increases.
If anyone in Florida even encounters a "nuisance alligator," the FWC says, they can contact a hotline with their information at 866-FWC-GATOR.
Gator Ping!.....................
I live not far from where this happened and have hiked this trail a few times. We know there are gators everywhere. Some even show up at your door step, with the nearest body of water over a half mile away.
Can’t you control your alligators over there? Lol
I guess the gator didn’t understand the rules of ‘Fetch’.
Dats a big gatah!
Uh, you live in the south near water, there are gators around.
Raw hamburger on a stick with IED stuffed inside and detonated remotely will make
the gator lose his mind.
“Toby was standing in the shallow water near the trail when he was grabbed.”
That is apparently a very common mistake in that area.
Gators are smart too.
When they hear that old diesel-rattling tractor come lumbering down the path to the bayou, they all line up near the bank like welfare candidates because they know there’s “something” about to be dumped in there from the front-end loader.
I’ve sat there and watched em devour a 400lb boar hog in less than five minutes. It becomes just a whirlpool of razor-sharp teeth and flapping tails.
Strong, vicious creatures they are.
Twice in twenty years I’ve had to stop in the street on the way to work or going home and wait for a gator to cross the road.....................
Only a Floridian would need to be reminded of those truly innovative and revelatory principles.
Go Gators!
If you can’t beat ‘em, eat ‘em!
Who,did the gator think he was? Ooobama?
Only a TRANSPLANTED Floridian would need to be reminded of those truly innovative and revelatory principles..............
Grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with a rock pit behind our house.
I’m sure that there were more than one gator in the pit but there was one that hung out where we all swam.
He, (or she🤔) would never bother us .. just hang out and watch us!
It would eat small and bigger than small dogs when it could grab them!🥴
Btw: Gator tail Does Not taste like chicken!!
It taste like swamp water unless you disguise the nasty taste with bbq sauce!😡
Never smile at a crocodile
“We fired our cannon till the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round
We filled his head with cannonballs ‘n’ powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off, the gator lost his mind”
JOHNNY HORTON
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