Florida woman fights alligator that clamped jaws on her dog’s head, forces it to flee
Desperate to save her dog, a woman in Florida battled an alligator and prised the pet from its jaws.
The incident occurred on 1 April in the city of Tampa, she told Spectrum News.
Source: FOX News
Florida woman & dog encounter alligator during walk
That evening, schoolteacher Kimberly Spencer took her Labrador-mix Kona on their regular walk in the neighbourhood.
When they passed by a large pond, they heard a noise. Ms Spencer then saw an alligator turning towards them. It was about 2m long, she told FOX News.
Source: FOX 13 Tampa Bay on YouTube
She immediately tried to pull Kona away, but the dog resisted.
Florida woman jumps on alligator, prising mouth open to free dog
Suddenly, the alligator attacked the dog, grabbing Kona’s entire head in its mouth.
Ms Spencer said she was “not a nature girl” and had always feared wild animals like alligators.
But when she saw her dog being bitten, she “stopped thinking and just dove on it”, joking:
Jumped on it, straddled it, as ladylike as that is.
While on its back, she used her bare hands to prise the alligator’s mouth open, freeing Kona.
Source: FOX 13 Tampa Bay on YouTube
When the dog was free, she then held the alligator’s mouth shut.
Fortunately, the reptile quickly returned to the water.
Both woman & dog suffer wounds
Both owner and dog required stitches for their injuries.
Kona’s wounds were mostly on the shoulder while Ms Spencer had bite injuries on both hands, which are still in bandages.
Source: Kimberly Spencer via Spectrum News
Meanwhile, Kona has to wear a “cone of shame” as she recovers.
Source: Kimberly Spencer via FOX News
The owner had no regrets about her actions, though, saying:
I wasn’t letting it take my baby, that’s it. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to her on my time.
Source: Spectrum News
Alligator to be removed
Ms Spencer warned members of the public about the alligators in the area, advising them to stay away from the reptiles and not to feed them.
She has decided to stick to walks within gated parts of her community after the incident.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has contracted a trapper to remove the alligator from the area.
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Featured image adapted from Spectrum News and Kimberly Spencer via Spectrum News.
