COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) — A Southwest Florida resident, Rick Fingeret, is recovering after an encounter with an alligator while walking his dogs, Friday. The quick thinking and action of a neighbor, Walter Rudder, helped save him from a potentially fatal situation.
According to Rudder, he was driving into his neighborhood when he spotted Fingeret in distress, lying on the road and waving his arms. An alligator had clamped its jaws around Fingeret’s leg and was dragging him toward a pond. Fingeret pleaded with Rudder to run the vehicle over the alligator, which caused the alligator to release its grip and go back into the water.
Another incident in Jacksonville captured on cellphone video showed MMA fighter Mike Dragich, known as the blue collar brawler, wrangling and carrying away an 8-foot alligator causing chaos in the middle of the street.
Over in Tampa, security guards at MacDill Air Force Base were seen scrambling after a massive gator wandered onto one of its runways, resting next to a plane. Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission were called in to remove that reptile too, which fought back as they tied it up and hauled it away to a more suitable location.
As for Fingeret, he was transported to a local hospital where he received treatment for his injuries. Following the incident, the FWC removed the alligator from the pond to prevent attacks.
The commission has issued a reminder that alligator mating season is between May and June, increasing the likelihood of encounters with these reptiles. Residents and visitors are urged to approach bodies of water with caution, keep a safe distance, always keep pets leashed and never feed or approach alligators.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.