Woman Loses Arm in Gator Attack

An afternoon swim in the Wekiva River near Orlando turned tragic Saturday when a woman was attacked by an alligator.

The woman, identified as Rachael Lilienthal, 37, had her arm bitten off from the elbow down. She also had bites on her back and torso, several media outlets are reporting.

The woman, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said had been swimming in a busy area of the river and tried to move to a less trafficked area when the alligator pulled her under the water.

A canoer who was passing by at the time pulled the woman to safety and notified authorities.

“You just saw some blood and some bone. There wasn’t anything else there,” Richard Ward, an onshore onlooker, was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying.

The woman was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. Her condition remains unknown.

The alligator’s fate, however, is known. Officials announced it was caught and killed early Sunday. It is unclear how big the alligator was.

This is the second alligator bite in the Central Florida area in recent weeks. In late July, a man in the St. Cloud area was bitten on the upper thigh.

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The FWC keeps records of the number of alligator attacks each year. In 2013, the last year there are records available for, there were 12 attacks total with no fatalities. The last recorded fatality occurred in 2007.

Increased alligator activity tends to occur as the weather warms, FWC officials note.

“All reptiles are more active in the warmer months,” Gary Morse, FWC spokesman, told Patch in an earlier interview. “That’s just the cold-blooded creatures’ (way). Their metabolism increases and they do become active.”

That increase in activity can lead to an increase in encounters with humans as gators take advantage of this time of year to stretch their legs and see if the grass is greener on the other side of the pond.

Calls related to nuisance alligators tend to climb so high in the warmer months the state has set up its own hotline. That number is 1-866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286). In 2013 alone, the state fielded 15,036 nuisance alligator calls, which resulted in the removal of 6,605 creatures.

So, what should folks do if they encounter a gator and how can they avoid running into one in the first place?

“If you see an alligator, appreciate it from a distance,” Morse recommended.

For those who like swimming in Florida’s freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers, Morse suggested avoiding heavily vegetated areas. He also warned: “No swimming between dusk and dawn when alligators tend to be active.”

For residents who encounter nuisance alligators, such as those that show up on front door steps, Morse said it’s a good idea to call the state’s hotline.

He also recommends people who live in or visit Florida brush up on their alligator knowledge.

“It’s imperative that people do their homework, go to our website and learn how to handle (sightings),” he said.

To help out, the state offers a downloadable brochure with the ABCs of cohabitating with these reptiles. “A Guide to Living with Alligators” can be accessed from the state’s website.

Photo courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission