Florida
Florida woman survived attack by massive 400 pound gator
MIAMI – A Florida woman needed emergency surgery after she was attacked by an alligator while swimming near her home.
Rachél Thompson, who still needs to stay off her feet, said it could have been a lot worse.
“Earlier this month, I’ve heard a lot of these stories and I’ve heard a lot of tragic stories, lost lives, lost limbs,” she said.
Thompson lives in Temple Terrace, near Tampa. On July 4th, just after seven in the morning, she finished a run and went into her backyard for a dip in the Hillsborough River.
“I’m basically standing in shallow water and I look into the dark water and out of nowhere appear the ripples of a giant alligator head,” she said.
The gator attacked her, biting her leg. Thompson said she punched it in its snout.
“The thought came to my mind ‘This is your last move and the next is his, next to roll you’ and I just screamed and I pried as hard as I could,” she said.
She eventually got away, pulling herself up onto a dock. A licensed trapper removed the alligator from the river, it weighed more than 400 pounds and measured 10 feet – eight inches. The gator was euthanized.
Thompson was taken to the hospital where she spent three days after her surgery.
“None of the major nerves were severed. One clean fracture to the fibula, the small bone,” she said.
Thompson is expected to make a full recovery.
“I have a lot of scars and it’s amazing the more that you get in life, the more you realize people don’t pick up on them, they don’t notice them. I think this one might be different. I think this one might be a bit more noticeable,” she said.
State wildlife officials say serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida. They urge people to never feed an alligator, not only is it dangerous, it’s illegal.
FORT MYERS, Fla. – An injured manatee and her calf are recovering after authorities on a boat rescued them from the Orange River near Fort Myers on Thursday.
What we know:
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its Marine Unit, Advanced Technology Support Unit, drone pilots and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helped in saving the pair after the mother was found hurt in the water and in need of medical attention.
READ: Missing Florida man found stuck in mud without food or water for days: PFD
Video shows authorities pulling the frantic manatees safely onto the boat in netting before taking them to shore.
Courtesy: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Both animals will be taken to ZooTampa for evaluation and medical care.
What we don’t know:
LCSO did not say the extent of the mother’s injuries.
By the numbers:
As of Feb. 20, there have been 85 manatee deaths across Florida in 2026, according to the FWC. Last year reportedly saw a total of 632 manatee deaths.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, the FWC began investigating a spike in manatee deaths, specifically in Lee County, where officials say 25 were found dead within a week.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
The FWC believes these manatee deaths could be from several factors: cold stress, a lack of seagrass and polluted waterways.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
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