A man has lost his arm after an alligator viciously attacked him in a pond where he went to relieve himself.
Jordan Rivera, a 23-year-old from Englewood, Florida, was attacked by an alligator after approaching and then accidentally falling into the pond in Port Charlotte.
The alligator attacked him and bit off his right arm just above the elbow, amputating him.
Thankfully, some bystanders rushed to his aid and saved his life, and Mr Rivera discovered his missing arm upon regaining consciousness in the hospital.
He recounts his hazy memory of the event, explaining that he walked to the pond to relieve himself and ended up in the water without realising its depth.
“Those gators, I didn’t truly understand them until I woke up in the hospital and, ‘Oh, gator got your arm,” he told NBC2.
From his hospital bed in the ICU at Gulf Coast Medical Center, Mr Rivera said that despite the traumatic incident, he considers himself fortunate to be alive.
“I didn’t lose my life, I lost an arm, it’s not the end of the world, you know,” he said.
The man still faces medical procedures to clean out bacteria from his arm and will undergo rehabilitation.
The alligator was located and euthanised by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
A spokesperson for FWC said the 10’ 5” gator was euthanized, a common action for gators that attack humans.
One of the shocked bystanders that rushed to the man's aid described how they were alerted of what had happened.
Manny Hidalgo was inside a nearby bar when he suddenly heard frantic shouts coming from the pond.
He reached for his phone and used its flashlight to locate the source of the fuss.
He told The Daily Sun: "He was yelling and swimming towards the shoreline. I ran and dragged him up onto the sand. I was scared to get close to the water because it was dark out.
"I was scared for sure. He was a pretty big guy. I'm not sure how I did it. I guess my adrenaline kicked in...
"I don't know if it was a mama gator trying to save her young, or a daddy gator trying to feed his family ... but the guy was very lucky."
And added: "I know it's mating season, so I hope people are more aware of their surroundings.
"This is Florida and there are predators...I guess I was just at the right place at the right time. I hope the guy is OK."
