AMBUSH

Alligator Bites Child in Off-Limits Nature Preserve

The child was rushed to the hospital, where their injuries were deemed not life-threatening.

A child has been rushed to the hospital after being attacked by an alligator in Florida on Monday afternoon, authorities said. The predator bit the child’s arm and leg, leaving the victim and several others stranded on a sandbar in a nature preserve in Hernando County. Fire Rescue’s Special Operations Marine Unit retrieved the group by airboat and brought them safely to shore. The child was rushed to Bayonet Point Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Their identity has not been released. Christopher Gillette, owner of Bellowing Acres Animal Sanctuary in Interlachen, said the attack occurred in an area where swimming was prohibited. “That’s really kind of the root of the issue here: You’re swimming in the no-swimming zone,” he said. “We’re very fortunate that the kid did survive.” Gillette urged people to swim only in designated areas known to be free of alligators. Florida is home to an estimated 1.3 million of the reptiles.