Gator thought to be dead takes chomp out of man’s thumb

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A central Florida man was bit by an alligator after mistaking it for dead.

Orlando television station WESH reported Sunday that 41-year-old Bryan Rohm was bit on the thumb and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Rohm and his son were on a boat Saturday and had a permit to hunt alligators. They shot an alligator twice with a specialized firearm known as a “bang stick” and thought it was dead.

But the alligator bit Rohm as he tried to get the alligator in the boat.

The alligator then jumped back into the water.