How much force can an alligator deliver teeth to tail?

Trapper OK after he was knocked out by alligator

OCOEE, Fla. – After video surfaced online showing a trapper being knocked out by the tail of a nuisance alligator, experts weigh in on how much power alligators can deliver by not just their bite, but also from the force of their tails or heads. 

Donny Aldarelli is a manager at Gatorland, and understands how much pain the registered trapper with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission endured. 

"I remember one time I got whacked in the tail by a 10 footer, and it was the hardest I've ever gotten hit in my life," he said. "My whole vision just went super bright and instant pain, it took me a couple hours to recuperate from it." 

The video shared with News 6 on Tuesday shows an incident that happened in May in a subdivision in Ocoee, where officers and a trapper tried to remove a nuisance alligator.

[Video: Trapper knocked out cold by large alligator in Ocoee]

"It's so strong," Aldarelli said. "If they whack you or clocked you in the head just right, getting knocked out could happen, but they could cause more serious damage than that, possibly even kill you with just hitting you in the head."

Aldarelli said the video shows the trapper did everything by the book, but an incident like that is sometimes inevitable when dealing with alligators.

News 6 spoke with the trapper, who declined to talk on-camera. He did say he's feeling quite alright. And after the video ended, he was able to get back up and put the alligator into the back of his truck. 

Aldarelli wants to remind everyone to never feed an alligator, and leave handling them to the professionals. 


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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