SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was alligator hunting Thursday on Lake Jesup was bitten by a gator and suffered a severe arm injury, according to Seminole County Fire Rescue.
The man was on the water hunting around 5:05 p.m. near Lake Street when the gator latched onto his arm, causing it to nearly be amputated.
According to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 41-year-old Carsten Kieffer was in an open motorboat with two other men when they hooked a “large” alligator and brought it alongside the boat.
“While the men were positioning the vessel and working the lines attached to the animal, the alligator jumped partially out of the water headfirst and bit the victim on the right arm,” the report read.
FWC said the gator briefly rolled while it was still latched onto Kieffer’s arm then it released and returned to the the water.
Kieffer was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center as a trauma alert patient, but his injuries are not life-threatening, officials said. The two other men on the boat were not injured.
A trap has been set for the alligator, according to wildlife officials. A report referred to the animal as “large” but didn’t provide its exact size.
Alligator hunting season in Florida began Aug. 15 and runs until Nov. 1. FWC said the men were licensed to hunt.
Meanwhile, a woman boogie boarding Thursday at New Smyrna Beach was bitten on her leg by a shark and again on her ankle after she kicked the shark. Her injuries were not life-threatening.