SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Central Florida woman remains hospitalized days after an alligator attacked her in the Wekiva River and chomped off her arm.
Rachael D. Lilenthal, 37, who teaches Spanish at Rollins College in Winter Park, was attacked by the alligator around 3:30 p.m. Saturday just west of the Wekiva Island Marina, Seminole County Fire Rescue officials said.
[AUDIO: Warning content may be graphic | 911 Call 1 | Call 2 | WEB EXTRAS: FWC's guide to living with alligators | Alligator Safety Tips | Stats on Alligator Bites ]
Investigators said Lilienthal felt something grab her and pull her under water. Moments later, she said she felt her arm break, according to officials.
Witnesses said Lilienthal fought with the large gator and tried to get to safety. A couple on a green kayak saw the woman and helped, beating the alligator with a paddle, causing the animal to release Lilienthal, officials said.
Witness Debra Morris said she was swimming in the river when she saw a woman swim past her into a secluded spot in the river.
"She was just swimming. Next thing you know, we heard the people come up and say, 'Get a boat. Call 911 because someone has been bit by a gator,'" Morris said. "Her right arm was bit up to here. It was gone. She had nothing. Like completely gone. (From the) elbow down, (her arm was) gone."
Lilenthal, who was also bitten on her abdomen, was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, but her official condition has not been released.
The gator, an 8 foot 9 inch male weighing 300 to 350 pounds, was captured Sunday morning and euthanized. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said human body parts were found inside the gator's stomach.
FWC said the investigation would take weeks and investigators are looking into whether the gator had been fed and lost its fear of humans.
Former FWC trapper Fred Bohler said large male gators can become aggressive if their territory is invaded.
"In a secluded area some larger males may be opportunistic," said Bohler. "I would not swim down the middle of a river alone, and I would not go at night, that's the feeding hunting time for gators."
But he also added that Florida has more than 2 million alligators and attacks are very rare, especially in loud, busy areas. "More people are struck by lightning than they are injured by alligators," said Bohler.
Bohler said feeding gators is illegal and causes them to lose their fear of humans. Once that happens, they cannot be rehabilitated.
"Because you're creating a mini T-Rex and you're putting yourself on its menu," said Bohler. "If he's coming up to a human, that fear is lost and it's a dangerous animal."
More than $10,000 was raised as of Monday evening on a GoFundMe set up for Lilenthal by family friends.
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