A Florida man died in a suspected alligator attack while searching for Frisbees at a golf course lake on Tuesday, May 31.
The incident came in spite of the alligator warnings through sign boards in the area, where a nearby golf course is situated and known as a site where people seek flying discs to sell.
Local authorities believe the man was attempting to gain profit from the Frisbees, where some of them can be found in the alligator-infested waters in the area.
The developing story potentially adds to the growing cases of alligator attacks in Florida, where the abundance of the reptile species is commonplace.
Suspected Alligator Attack
An alligator apparently killed an unidentified man in Largo, Florida, according to emerging reports on Wednesday, June 1.
According to The Guardian, the Largo Police Department said through email on Tuesday that the man was "looking for flying discs" in the Florida lake and an alligator was involved.
The UK media agency cited a report from a separate email by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that the killed individual was a 47 years old man.
In the meantime, the Florida police is still determining the identity of the man who is believed to also be a resident of the state.
In addition, measures are still underway to determine if an alligator is involved in the situation.
Also Read: Alligator Drinks Box of Diet Coke Cans at Florida Couple's Home
Investigation and Frisbee Hunting
The Florida man's body was found in the lake within John S. Taylor Park on Tuesday morning.
With the so-called "Taylor Lake" being next to the disc golf course, local officials said that the people searching for Frisbees in the area are not unusual.
In fact, the flying discs can be reportedly sold for few dollars per piece.
As a result, the witnesses at the site claimed that there is an alligator near the body, which prompted the authorities to call the FWC for assistance, according to Officer Forest Rothchild, spokesperson of FWC's law enforcement wing, as cited by Tampa Bay Times.
Initial investigation into the incident suggested that the man drowned after he went into the water.
However, upon arrival of authorities at 9:30 a.m. local time on the same day, the angle of a potential alligator attack came in due to purported injuries on the man's body.
Alligator-Infested Waters
Some inland bodies of water in Florida are known for being inhabited by alligators.
With the expansion of human settlement in the state over the past century, reports of frequent encounters between the reptiles and humans have emerged.
According to the FWC, there are approximately 1.3 million alligators across Florida, where wild animals live in all 67 counties of the state.
Despite the increasing urbanization in multiple areas, the population of Florida gators remained healthy and stable.
The gator population is part of an estimated 5 million American alligators living across the Southeast US.
Since the FWC started recording gator attacks in 1948, there are only 26 lethal attacks in Florida.
Most attacks result in injury and serious medical attention.
The US wildlife agency stated the odds of severe injury during an unprovoked alligator is only one in 3.1 million, as cited by ABC Action News.
Related Article: Alligator Mauled Florida Woman, Leaving Her Hospitalized with Severe Arm Injuries