Woman Attacked by Gator at Tampa Park

A woman is listed in stable condition at a local hospital after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say she was attacked by an alligator Thursday afternoon.

The attack occurred while the woman was canoeing at John B. Sargeant Park, 12702 U.S. 301, in the North Tampa area this afternoon, wrote Larry McKinnon, sheriff’s office spokesman.

A call came into the sheriff’s office around 1:45 p.m. and the aviation unit was put into action to find the bite victim and another woman, McKinnon wrote. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue used a Zodiac-style boat to transport the victim back to the park so she could be taken to the hospital for treatment.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission keeps records of the number of alligator attacks in the state. There have been a total of 357 recorded attacks between 1948 and 2013. Of those attacks, 22 were fatal and 235 were considered major.

Further details about Thursday’s incident are not available at this time.