79-year-old man hospitalized after alligator bite in Collier County golf community

Reporter: Michelle Alvarez Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published: Updated:

A 79-year-old man has been hospitalized after being bitten by an alligator in a Collier County golf community.

According to the Collier County Sheriff’s office, the man was walking on Jungle Plum Drive near his home in Forest Glen Golf & Country Club around 5 a.m Thursday. He was not near the water.

While he was walking, a 6-foot-9-inch alligator attacked him, biting him in the leg. The man lost a lot of blood, and he was flown by helicopter to a local hospital as a trauma alert.

Deputies said they were able to keep track of the alligator after rendering first aid to the bite victim, and a trapper safely captured it soon after the attack. The alligator was a female that the deputies said began heading in the direction of a lake after biting the man.

CCSO urges residents to be cautious around bodies of water and vegetation where an alligator could have a nest, especially between dusk and dawn.

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