Florida teen loses arm in alligator attack

updated 3:20 p.m. ET, Tues., June. 24, 2008

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. - A Florida teen who was attacked by an 11 1/2-foot alligator lost his arm, but managed to escape with his life after poking the animal in the eye.

A sheriff's office report said Kasey Edwards was hanging out with friends beside a canal in Okeechobee County on Sunday when he decided to go swimming.

Halfway through the swim, an alligator clamped down on his left arm. Edwards says he fought back by grabbing onto a buoy line and not letting go. He then poked the animal in the eye to get free.

Read The Rest Here

Hey people, if you are going to go swimming in freshwater, in Florida, if it be day or night, check for gators first, you are entering their territory. I'm happy to see he lived, and he did the right thing. There are roughly 1 million gators in Florida, be careful...and DON'T FEED THE GATORS!!!

Tim
--------

--------

Palm Harbor man accused of killing gator

Glenn F. Rayburn, 44, of Palm Harbor, was arrested last night and accused of killing an alligator. According to the arrest affidavit from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Rayburn lured the alligator from a body of water at Virginia Street and County Road 1 with bait, then killed the gator and removed its tail.

Read The Rest Here

I hate reading about this. I love alligators. They are one of the last links to dinosaurs. I find them amazing.

That said, though I love gator tail myself, go to a restaurant to eat it. Don't kill one out of a pond.

Tim
------