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.
Our troop was kicked out of a jamboree for throwing eggs one morning instead of cooking them.
We deserved it.
Too bad we can’t ship a few thousand to DC to take out rogue politicians.
As if snakes living in trees wasn’t bad enough 😩
As I was doing my workout, this morning, I saw several mosquitos flying around, outside of the window.
I laughed....thinking, Ha! I’m inside...without you pests, and any humidity.
Little did I know that the alligators and murder hornets were peering at me, from their tree perches. 👀
🤬
Hi.
“When will hunting them be encouraged?”
August 2022. Night AND day. Open season.
See FWS for more details.
5.56mm
Panzerbjorn.
“Only a Floridian would need to be reminded of those truly innovative and revelatory principles.”
You have not watched New Yorkers and Bison in Yellowstone Park.
“he put his beloved dog in extreme danger.....”
Cause he’s a dumbass.
And!
Come through your pool screen and swim in your pool.
Get into the back seat of your car...
And ring your front door bell.
I hope that I didn’t disturb anyone’s sleep tonight.
5.56mm
Gators wander around during mating season...
Gators view dogs as nommy nommies. I am sad for the dog. But any sensible Florida dog owner knows not to let their dog loose by any body of water where critters could be lurking. Does not even have to be that deep.
Most large urban areas in the US have ghettopotomus
When I worked for our local building department people would sometimes come in to apply for a fence permit. It was not unusual for them to tell me the fence was because the house was on a canal and they wanted to keep gators off their property. They were not happy when I told them that gators could climb fences.
I love how the government loves protecting thess man-eat cockroaches
They are vermin
Gators gonna gator...ALWAYS.
Are the New Yorkers in Yellowstone a sterile herd or are there plans to breed them?
And some piranhas...................
lol i hadn’t heard that one before-
“Are the New Yorkers in Yellowstone a sterile herd or are there plans to breed them?”
It’s hard to pin down as New Yorkers are migratory like Californians. Californians are easy to catch and sterilize though, you just leave a steaming Starbucks Double Latte on a park bench next to a sign that says ‘Free Wifi’ and voila! You’ve got em’. The screaming is horrible as the males genitalia is so small and their manbuns will whip you in the face.
Go Gators!
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