PALM HARBOR, Fla. — A woman was bitten by an alligator while walking her dog by a retention pond in Palm Harbor.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) received a report of a 43-year-old woman bitten by an alligator while walking her dog on a leash along a small pond near Pine Ridge Blvd.
Gene Vance said he witnessed the attack. He was out walking a dog around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
"Looked like the gator tried to get the dog, but she grabbed the dog really quick, but in turn, she slipped down and the gator got her leg just underneath her knees," said Vance. "It looked like just one chomp and it kind of saw her tripping over the grass a little bit, looked like one chomp and he went back into the water from what I saw."
Vance called 911. He said the woman was alert.
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Paramedics rushed her to a local hospital where she is being treated for her injuries to her lower leg.
FWC and officers contacted an alligator trapper to the scene. The contracted nuisance alligator trapper was able to remove the 7-foot alligator.
FWC officials said they always remove the alligator involved in bite incidents. Relocating a nuisance gator is not a feasible option for people or alligators, according to state wildlife officials. Relocated alligators nearly always try to return to the site where they were captured.
In most cases, the alligator is processed for its hide and meat.
The incident is under investigation by the FWC.
