Alligator Attacks 2 Florida Kayakers

A group of around 20 kayakers making their way through a Florida nature preserve had a very tense 45 minutes after an alligator attack on Monday. The alligator bit a woman on the elbow and ripped a man's life jacket off in the attack at the Tiger Creek Preserve, near Lake Kissimmee, the Tampa Bay Times reports. In a 911 call, a member of the group said the woman's arm was "really badly damaged" and they were afraid the alligator was still nearby, Local10 reports. "She's beginning to go into shock," the man said later in the call. "She's in pain, a lot of pain."

The caller said the group was in a marshy area. He said there was a first aid kit in one of the kayaks, but it took time to retrieve it because people were scared of going in the water near where the alligator was last seen, the Ledger reports. Around 44 minutes into the call, first responders arrived in an airboat and took the woman to a helicopter. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the 8-foot-4 alligator was removed by a nuisance alligator trapper. The FWC says alligator attacks causing serious injuries are rare, though Brandon Fisher at Gatorland tells WFTV that they are more aggressive at this time of year as breeding season approaches. (More alligator stories.)