Man bitten while trying to remove alligator from Englewood East property

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A 4-foot-long alligator lays on the driveway of an Englewood East property, Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Courtesy photo

A man was bitten by an alligator on Tuesday morning while trying to remove it from his property in Englewood East.

According to the Florida Wildlife Commission, a call came in just before 10 a.m. about a 4-foot alligator at a home on Tacoma Avenue in Englewood East. The property owner attempted to remove the alligator himself and was bitten on the arm.

A contracted nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched and removed the alligator. The FWC is investigating the incident.

Auzjia Dickerson was the woman who called 911.

“I’m here just moving out of my house and there’s a gator in the carport,” Dickerson said.

Auzjia made a quick decision and decided to grab her neighbor. She did this because she knew her neighbor had the right tools for this situation.

“He’s a dog trainer. So, he came out with like gloves and a sweatshirt,” Dickerson said. “Like he kind of knew what he was doing. But it was fast. He moved too fast. It just didn’t go well.”

The gator then became agitated and clamped down on the man’s arm.

A 4-foot-long alligator lays beneath a vehicle outside an Englewood East property, Tuesday, October 25, 2022. Courtesy photo

“Someone had a broomstick and they use the broomstick to help pry open the gator’s mouth so he could get his arm out,” Dickerson said.

The gator was eventually relocated to a safer area.

The FWC urges that people concerned about alligators should call FWC’s toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at (866) 392-4286 for a contracted nuisance alligator trapper to fix the problem. You should not call 911 if you see an alligator in your driveway or anywhere the reptile is a nuisance. It also offers the following safety tips:

  • Keep a safe distance if you see an alligator.
  • Keep pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge. Pets often resemble alligators’ natural prey.
  • Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and without your pet. Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.
  • Never feed an alligator. It’s illegal and dangerous. When fed, alligators can lose their natural wariness and instead learn to associate people with the availability of food. This can lead to dangerous circumstances for yourself and other people who could encounter the alligator in the future.

Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida.

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