72-Year-Old Man Attacked by Gator, Losing Part of Leg in Central Florida

A 72-year-old man lost part of his leg Friday afternoon in a gator attack near his Titusville home, NBC affiliate WESH-TV reports.

The man lost his right leg from the knee down after a gator got a hold of him from a canal at the Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort in Brevard County.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers trapped and killed the gator — and a second gator — after the attack, according to WESH.

FWC officers and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office deputies were tracking a gator in a canal with rifles at the site of the attack, according to WESH.

Then, officials say an alligator with a human foot protruding from the end of his mouth was seen skimming the water’s surface. WESH reports that at least four shots were fired, followed by a great deal of blood in the water.

An FWC officer was then able to retrieve a foot and part of the leg and the gator was pulled onshore. Shortly after, WESH says a second gator was killed as well.

Both gators were loaded into the back of an FWC pickup truck and hauled off the scene. Officials believe that the larger of the two gators attacked the elderly man.

The victim was airlifted to a hospital in Melbourne where he is now recovering from the attack.

"It's in an area where the gators lay on the bank kind of readily," local resident Ron Peoples told WESH. "It's only about 15 feet between the house and the water."

FWC is currently investigating the incident.

The attack comes nearly two months after an 85-year-old Florida woman was dragged into a canal and killed by an alligator.

As alligators become more visible and active during spring and summer, FWC officials warn Floridians to be especially careful around bodies of water.

Here are some safety tips for those who live near bodies of water in South Florida.