SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A man was taken to the hospital after being bitten by an alligator at Lake Jesup Park around 6 p.m. Thursday evening, officials said.
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The man was being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to the The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Witnesses told police that three of them were alligator hunting on the side side of Lake Jesup when they caught an alligator by a snatch line. They estimated the gator to be about 12 feet in length, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.
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The men were able to insert two additional harpoons into the alligator before grabbing more line to raise it to the surface to harvest it, according to the report. The alligator then “launched itself upwards partially into the boat and bit (the victim) on his right arm and began to spin, amputating the arm at about the middle of the forearm,” the report states.
Other people on the boat were able to force the alligator to release its bite, according to the report. They cut the harpoon lines and looked for a residence to stop for help.
The man was participating in the Statewide Alligator Harvest at the time of the incident, according to the commission.
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The commission, Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and fire and rescue teams responded to the incident.
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