A 71-year-old man fishing on the shore of a Florida pond was attacked and killed on Friday by a virtually 12-foot alligator, the second deadly such assault reported this yr.
Steven Hamilton of Winter Backyard was standing on the shoreline of Lake Apopka at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, when the reptile struck round 5 p.m., the Winter Backyard Police Division stated.
The presence of different lively alligators within the water difficult any likelihood of rescuing Hamilton, whose physique was recovered round two hours later, Winter Backyard Fireplace Chief Jose Gainza told FOX35.
Hamilton’s dying marked the second lethal alligator assault in Florida this yr.
After a 31-year-old Oviedo lady, Brittany Clark, was killed by a 13-foot alligator close to her residence in June, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube launched a decision calling for the Comptroller Normal and U.S. Division of the Inside to review the impacts of the American alligator’s itemizing as “threatened attributable to similarity of look” on Florida’s skill to take away nuisance alligators from residential and business waterways. He stated the species has been totally recovered since 1987, nevertheless it stays protected to stop trafficking and the looking of the similar-looking American crocodile.
Utilizing Florida state data, the 2 2026 deaths convey the full variety of people killed by alligators since 1948 to 34. Amongst them was a 61-year-old woman tipped out of her canoe by an alligator in 2025 and an 85-year-old widow who was dragged out of her yard by an alligator while walking her dog in 2023.
Police Capt. Michael Mason stated authorities weren’t alerted prematurely Friday that an alligator was close to the shoreline of the lake, presumably as a result of the lake “has tons of alligators in it.” He stated police have launched a joint investigation with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fee, whose trappers captured and killed the animal.
“All the time concentrate on your environment. All the time be protected,” he stated. “Wildlife: Respect it. Maintain your distance. It appears prefer it’s docile, it appears like your Florida emblem, however it may be harmful.”
