Alligator mating season is in full effect and this means South Florida better be careful. Over the past few weeks, there have been multiple alligator attacks, including a farmworker who was bitten unexpectedly in Palm City.
According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, over the last 10 years, the state has averaged eight unprovoked bites per year. Kelly Fad, the general curator at Palm Beach Zoo, describes the incidents as being signs to take precautions when nearing bodies of water.
“Animals aren’t mean,” Fad says. “Animals are just trying to do what they can to survive.”
This raises the danger for those living near bodies of water that are known to foster alligators. At HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, trauma medicine specialist Dr. David Rubay has had three patients enter for surgery with alligator attack wounds.
Dr. Rubay says alligators’ teeth add to the dangers of the reptile because they carry bacteria and their tooth length creates serious wounds when biting into victims. This calls for attention to our surroundings this summer, as many species become active due to the change in seasonal climate.
