An unsuspecting K9 dog was attacked by an alligator while on duty. The 8-year-old service dog received a nasty bite from the beast in Florida's southwestern canals.
Alligator Attacks a German Shepherd
Duch, a German Shepherd belonging to the Peace River K9 Search and Rescue (PRSAR) non-profit, was attacked while on a rescue mission Sunday. The team was looking for a missing person.
Michael Hadsell, president of PRSAR, told Newsweek that the gator struck Dutch in the right shoulder and the bottom fang missed his lung by centimeters, and the top fang went through his tricep to the bone.
Dutch was patrolling near the shoreline when the attack happened. Hadsell did not provide the exact location or details of the case for confidential reasons.
Duch has been in service for five years. He is certified in water rescue and detecting living persons and human remains. Part of his duties was searching for human remains on water or near the water.
However, since many search and rescue operations occur along the swamps' banks, they have to go into the gator territory. Hansell said they knew that dealing with gators, snakes, and sharks is part of their duties, and they mitigate it as best as possible.
Handsell admitted they were surprised by the incident because they had not seen any gators or activity in the area. However, they spotted a 4-foot gator, which they believed was the culprit.
According to Handsell, smaller gators are cocky and fight when they shouldn't.
Are Alligator Bites Fatal?
Alligator attacks are rare. Frank Mazzotti, professor of wildlife ecology and member of the "Croc Docs" at the University of Florida, told USA TODAY that fatal attacks don't happen often. In fact, alligator attacks rarely happen, even in Louisiana and Florida.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, licensed hunters remove over 1,000 nuisance alligators deemed a threat to pets, livestock, or humans. Most attack reports are just encounters.
However, according to Medscape, bites from crocodiles and alligators are usually fatal, and if the person survives, there is a high risk of infection. The outlet noted that there were reports of infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei, usually due to environmental contamination.
There were reportedly multiple microorganisms isolated from wounds after alligator attacks. The flora of the crocodile sand alligators' mouth might consist of the flora of the feces of the previous prey.
How to Avoid Alligator Attacks
Savannah River Ecology Laboratory shared some tips to be safe around alligators. The site suggested avoiding feeding alligators, attempting to move them out of the road, disturbing their nest, swimming in the areas known as their habitat, and keeping them as pets. You should keep your distance from them.
A woman from Texas raised an alligator as a pet for over 20 years without legal papers. She stole the egg from the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo as a volunteer.
Texas Parks and Wildlife rescued the beast and returned it to the zoo. The woman faced up to $1,000 in fines and fees for possessing the alligator illegally.
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Check out more news and information on Alligators in Science Times.
