ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ A woman is recovering after being attacked by an alligator that bit off her arm while she swam in central Florida.
The unidentified victim was swimming in Wekiva River on Saturday afternoon with a group. Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spokeswoman Karen Parker said the victim left to swim somewhere more secluded and that’s when she was attacked. The gator bit her arm off just above the elbow. Parker said doctors were not able to reattach it because too much time had passed.
Kayakers rescued the woman and tried beating the gator away with paddles so they could bring the victim to shore. She was taken to the hospital and her condition is not known.
Wildlife officers captured the gator hours later, just after midnight on Sunday and euthanized it. Authorities have not yet released the size or sex of the gator.