Child Bitten By Gator While Swimming At Weeki Wachee Preserve: Sheriff

WEEKI WACHEE, FL — A child was bitten by an approximately 9- to 12-foot alligator while swimming at the Weeki Wachee Preserve on Monday afternoon, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a community alert.

The victim and several other children became isolated on a sandbar and weren’t able to swim back to the mainland, the sheriff’s office said.

The Hernando County Fire Rescue Special Operations Marine Unit responded to the sandbar with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and HCSO around 2:30 p.m. They used an airboat to rescue the group, HCFR said in a social media post.

The bitten child sustained puncture wounds to an arm and a leg, the sheriff’s office said.

Their injuries weren’t considered life-threatening, and the child was brought to Bayonet Point Hospital for further treatment.

A licensed Florida wildlife trapper responded to the preserve and placed traps for the alligator, which officials estimated was between 9 and 12 feet long.

FWC is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the violation involving swimming at the preserve, HCSO said.

Officials urged people to exercise extreme caution around waterways and follow all posted rules and restrictions.

“Do not swim in areas where swimming is prohibited,” the sheriff’s office said.

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