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North Port, FL - A South Florida man was bitten by an alligator after he mistook the reptile for “a dog with a long leash” early Tuesday morning.
According to police, the incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. at Warm Mineral Springs Motel in North Port.
Investigators say the man was walking outside the motel when he spotted a dark figure that “appeared to look like a dog with a long leash.”
The alligator bit the man’s right leg, ripping off a chunk of muscle as he tried to escape.
The man flagged down a deputy who was in the area and was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Venice.
Police captured the gator before a licensed trapper arrived.
The trapper removed the reptile from the area.