Florida Man Lost Chunks of Muscle Tissue Leg After an Alligator Attack at a Sarasota County Motel

A Florida man lost a large portion of his leg after an alligator, which he mistook for a dog, attacked and bit him outside his motel in Florida past midnight of Tuesday, June 7.

Local authorities arrived at the scene and was able to save the man, who was brought by paramedics to a nearby hospital.

The incident adds to the increasing number of alligator attacks across Florida over recent years.

This is attributed to the growing population of the reptiles in the Sunshine State.

In late May, a Florida man was found dead in an alleged alligator attack while searching for frisbees.

Mistook for a Dog

(Photo : Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The 49-year-old man went outside from his room at Warm Mineral Springs Motel in the city of North Port in Sarasota County, Florida, at 12:30 a.m. EDT (local time) on Tuesday.

The alligator attack occurred when the man approached a figure resembling a dog with a long leash attached to it.

According to Douglas Johnson, a spokesman of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, the man claimed to have seen the figure moving in the bushes.

However, it turned to be a 7-foot alligator that immediately ripped off a chunk of muscle tissue on his right leg, as cited by NBC News.

In addition, the man reportedly had a poor observation of the massive reptile since it was still dark.

It is also for this reason he was unable to flee from it right away.

A police sergeant patrolling the area was able to help the man. The officer was also able to capture the animal even before the expert animal trapper arrived at the scene.

The man was taken to the Sarasota Memorial Hospital in the city of Venice, Florida.

Also Read: Florida Man Spends His Retirement Trapping over 100 Invasive Tegu Lizards

Alligator Whereabouts

Johnson confirmed the alligator was caught already and transferred it to a trapper from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

NBC News also cited FWC spokesman Adam Brown's statement that the reptile was already removed from the motel property and is being transferred alive to the Townsend Farms in Labelle.

Since the aftermath of the wild animal attack, Brown said the victim has already been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

Florida Alligator Attacks

The incident came more than a week after another Florida man was found dead in a suspected alligator attack at a disc golf course in Largo, Florida.

The man's body was seen in the so-called Taylor Lake or a lake in the John S. Taylor Park.

The Largo Police Department reported the man was looking for frisbees in the area, which sits next to a lake with warning signs against alligators, as cited by The Guardian.

The man was believed to be collecting frisbees or flying discs in the golf course to sell and gain profit.

The FWC estimates there are approximately 1.3 million alligators across Florida, living in all of the state's 67 counties, which includes Sarasota County having one of the largest number of alligator population.