Alligator Bites Woman Trying To Feed It By Hand
POSTED: Thursday, October 6, 2005
UPDATED: 5:42 am EDT October 7,
2005
  Rivera told a FWC investigator that she was trying to feed an alligator when it bit her hand instead of the food. She said she did not realize it could propel itself out of the water. |
A 25-year-old woman in Melbourne, Fla., was treated at a hospital Thursday after an alligator jumped out of the water and bit her hand as she tried to feed it by hand, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission news release.The 3-foot alligator bit Danielle Rivera, of Palm Bay, Fla., Thursday afternoon at Crane's Creek in downtown Melbourne.
IMAGES: More strange stories, images on Local6.com
MOST POPULAR: Women Busted For Prostitution In Daytona
Rivera told a FWC investigator that she was trying to feed an alligator when it bit her hand instead of the food. She said she did not realize it could propel itself out of the water."This is a classic example of why it is against the law to feed alligators in Florida," said Joy Hill, public information coordinator for the FWC's Northeast Region. "The good news is that Ms. Rivera was treated and released from the hospital within a couple of hours of the incident. If the alligator had been a couple of feet larger, this story may have had a much different ending. Another reason people shouldn’t feed alligators is that feeding them is about the same as signing their death warrant."An officer issued Rivera a written warning for violating Florida’s law that prohibits feeding wild alligators. Rivera could have been charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, but the officer felt she learned her lesson about feeding alligators the hard way and she likely won’t do it again."Our goal is to get people to comply with the law," said Lt. Rick Brown. "We make an effort to take a minimal amount of law enforcement action to achieve that goal."The alligator was captured and will be harvested, Local 6 News reported.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
IMAGES: More strange stories, images on Local6.com MOST POPULAR: Women Busted For Prostitution In Daytona Rivera told a FWC investigator that she was trying to feed an alligator when it bit her hand instead of the food. She said she did not realize it could propel itself out of the water."This is a classic example of why it is against the law to feed alligators in Florida," said Joy Hill, public information coordinator for the FWC's Northeast Region. "The good news is that Ms. Rivera was treated and released from the hospital within a couple of hours of the incident. If the alligator had been a couple of feet larger, this story may have had a much different ending. Another reason people shouldn’t feed alligators is that feeding them is about the same as signing their death warrant."An officer issued Rivera a written warning for violating Florida’s law that prohibits feeding wild alligators. Rivera could have been charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, but the officer felt she learned her lesson about feeding alligators the hard way and she likely won’t do it again."Our goal is to get people to comply with the law," said Lt. Rick Brown. "We make an effort to take a minimal amount of law enforcement action to achieve that goal."The alligator was captured and will be harvested, Local 6 News reported.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2005 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com.
All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed.
Three Disney employees are placed on paid leave pending the investigation into a fatal monorail crash.
Days before Austin Wuennenberg was killed in a monorail crash at Disney, he helped make a 4-year-old boy's dream come true.
A clerk at a pizzeria cut himself and falsely reported an armed robbery to cover up his drug habit, sheriff's deputies say.
A former Central Florida middle school teacher who pleaded guilty to having sex with a student is sentenced to five years in jail.
Officials investigate the first fatal accident in the 38-year history of Walt Disney World's monorail.
Thousands flock to a small church in Limerick, Ireland, to pray at the stump of a recently cut tree that many believe looks like the Virgin Mary.
Since Michael Jackson died June 25, fans from around the world have expressed their grief in flowers, balloons, teddy bears, candles, pictures and handwritten notes left throughout the city.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
